Let's be real for a second. If you watched Orange Is the New Black during its peak Netflix heyday, you probably spent a good chunk of time yelling at your screen whenever Jason Biggs showed up. Larry Bloom was, for many, the ultimate TV "buzzkill." While Piper Chapman was busy navigating the terrifying, racialized, and complex social hierarchy of Litchfield Penitentiary, Larry was back in a cozy Brooklyn apartment complaining about his "struggling" writing career and eating expensive burgers.
It felt wrong. It felt off-balance. But was Larry actually the villain, or was he just a guy caught in a situation he was never equipped to handle?
The character of Larry in Orange Is the New Black became a fascinating lightning rod for fan frustration. He wasn't a "bad guy" in the way a corrupt guard or a predatory inmate might be. He was something much more relatable and, therefore, more irritating: he was selfish in a very mundane, suburban way.
The Larry Bloom Problem: Why Fans Checked Out
Most viewers tuned in to see the stories of women who had been failed by the system. We wanted to see Red’s kitchen politics, Taystee’s wit, and the heartbreaking backstories of characters like Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren. Then, the scene would cut to Larry.
Suddenly, we were watching a privileged guy in the East Village trying to sell a story to The New York Times or appearing on NPR. Honestly, the tonal shift was jarring. While Piper was getting starved out or thrown in the SHU, Larry was worried about whether he could "use" her prison experience to jumpstart his career.
He wrote a column called "One Sentence, Two Prisoners," which basically suggested that his life as a free man was just as hard as Piper’s life behind bars.
Talk about a lack of self-awareness.
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The Infamous Betrayal
If the NPR interview didn't turn you against him, the Polly situation definitely did. Polly was Piper's best friend. They were business partners. And yet, while Piper was locked away, Larry and Polly started a relationship.
It wasn't just the cheating; it was the sheer audacity of it. They acted like they were the victims of a tragic romance, even as they betrayed the person they both supposedly cared about most. By the time Larry and Polly asked for Piper's "blessing," most of the audience was ready to see Larry written off the show forever.
And eventually, he was.
Larry Smith: The Real Man Behind the Fiction
Here is where things get interesting. Orange Is the New Black is based on the memoir by Piper Kerman. In real life, Piper’s partner was Larry Smith, a successful journalist and the creator of the "Six-Word Memoir" project.
If you compare the TV version of Larry to the real Larry Smith, the differences are staggering.
- Loyalty: Unlike the fictional Larry Bloom, who eventually drifted away and hooked up with Piper's best friend, the real Larry Smith stayed by Piper Kerman's side the entire time.
- Support: He didn't just visit her; he became part of a support network with the families of other inmates. He carpooled to the prison. He actually understood the gravity of what she was going through.
- Outcome: Piper Kerman and Larry Smith didn't have a messy, dramatic breakup involving a best friend. They got married shortly after she was released in 2005 and are still together today.
Larry Smith has been incredibly chill about how he was portrayed on screen. He’s gone on record saying that he understands the show needed "conflict." A guy who just shows up every week and is a "good guy" doesn't make for high-stakes prestige television.
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He even interviewed Jason Biggs for Medium, where the two joked about the "fart sex" scene and the fact that 99% of the internet absolutely despised the character Biggs was playing.
Why Larry Had to Be "Bad" for the Show to Work
From a writing perspective, Larry Bloom served a specific purpose. He represented the "Old Piper."
In the beginning, Piper Chapman was a woman who made artisanal soaps and lived a curated, sheltered life. Larry was her anchor to that world. But as Piper changed—as she became "prison Piper"—the anchor had to be cut.
If Larry had been a perfect, supportive partner, Piper’s transition into a more hardened, morally grey person would have felt like a betrayal of her relationship. By making Larry selfish, whiny, and eventually unfaithful, the writers gave Piper (and the audience) permission to move on.
It cleared the path for the Vauseman (Piper and Alex Vause) endgame that fans were clamoring for.
Jason Biggs’ Performance
We have to give credit to Jason Biggs here. It’s not easy to play a character that everyone hates, especially when you’re known for being the "likable guy" from American Pie.
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Biggs leaned into Larry’s insecurities. He made him feel like a real person—a flawed, "white knight syndrome" sufferer who didn't know how to handle his fiancée being a convicted felon. Biggs has mentioned in interviews that he saw Larry as a victim of the situation too. Imagine finding out your partner had a secret life as a drug smuggler ten years ago. It’s a lot to process.
But while Biggs’ performance was nuanced, the character simply couldn't compete with the vibrant, tragic, and hilarious world inside Litchfield. Larry was a "normie" in a world that had moved past the need for normal.
What We Can Learn from the Larry Controversy
Looking back, the "Larry hate" says a lot about how we consume media. We value the "insider" experience. We wanted to be in the trenches with the inmates, not on the couch with Larry.
He serves as a cautionary tale about centering yourself in someone else's trauma. Larry Bloom's biggest sin wasn't that he fell out of love; it was that he tried to make Piper's incarceration about his growth and his career.
If you’re revisiting the series or watching it for the first time, keep these things in mind:
- The "Two Pipers": Watch how Larry reacts to the "old" Piper vs. how he handles the "new" one. He can't handle the version of her that doesn't need him.
- The Memoir vs. The Show: If you find yourself genuinely annoyed by Larry Bloom, go read Piper Kerman's book. The real Larry is a much more sympathetic figure, and it’s a great exercise in seeing how Hollywood "spices up" reality.
- The Narrative Shift: Notice how the show’s energy changes after Season 2. Once Larry is phased out, the show becomes much more of an ensemble piece, focusing on the systemic issues of the prison-industrial complex rather than a Brooklyn love triangle.
Larry Bloom might have been the most hated man on Netflix for a few years, but he was a necessary part of the Orange Is the New Black journey. He was the bridge between the world we knew and the world Piper had to survive.
Once she crossed that bridge, there was no reason for him to stay.
To truly understand the impact of the show, it's worth comparing the fictionalized drama with the actual legal reforms Piper Kerman has advocated for since her release. You can look into the Women's Prison Association or Kerman's own work as a communications consultant for non-profits to see how the "real" story ended—not with a messy breakup, but with a lifelong commitment to change.