J.B. Smoove on the end of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’: ‘I was just blessed to be a part of it’ [Exclusive Video Interview] (2024)

Marcus James Dixon

June 5, 2024 at 7:07 PM·3 min read

J.B. Smoove on the end of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’: ‘I was just blessed to be a part of it’ [Exclusive Video Interview] (1)

After 12 seasons and 24 years, HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” aired its final episode in April. But J.B. Smoove, who has played Larry David‘s housemate Leon Black since 2007, wasn’t sure how to feel on the last day of filming. “It was definitely a sad day,” he tells us, “but it’s also a day of being on the fence about what’s really gonna happen.” Why? Because star/producer David had taken off “six years between seasons” before, and so Smoove still had hope it wasn’t over. “We don’t know what this man’s thinking half the time,” he jokes. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

Smoove is already an Emmy winner for starring on the short form series “Mapleworth Murders” in 2021, and now he’s looking for his first nomination for “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” where he’s competing in the category of Best Comedy Supporting Actor. “I do have a trophy on my mantel. That was a fun series to do,” he recalls. “[But] getting one for Leon would be incredible!”

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Speaking candidly about the end of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Smoove readily admits, “I can say I will miss the show. Anything and everything I have done, ‘Curb’ has come first. When Larry calls, I answer the phone … In every contract, I carve out ‘Curb’ in case ‘Curb’ comes back.” He adds, “I know the long road these people have done on this show, and I was just blessed to be a part of it. I was happy to be able to have this amazing manifestation come to light, and be a part of it, and grow with these people.”

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Since “Curb Your Enthuiasm” typically starts shooting in October, Smoove suspects that will be the time when it really hits him that the show isn’t coming back. “I’ll think about it and say, damn, my Octobers are normally already filled in, and I normally shoot ‘Curb,'” he sighs. “And I won’t have that this year, so I’ll feel it into the year. I’ll feel it.”

Somewhere along the line, Smoove and David really “hit it off,” and viewers found themselves watching a hilarious buddy comedy each week. “All of a sudden, it became this thing where, you know, how do they move forward without this character, because I think this character fits,” Smoove says. “Me and Larry met and fit years ago, and didn’t even know it. I truly believe everything that happened to me leading up to getting on that show was already set in motion.”

Also in our exclusive video interview, Smoove shares memories of the late Richard Lewis, he talks about how improvisation works on a show like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and he names some of his favorite Season 12 episodes that would be strong Emmy submissions if he were to receive a nomination this year.

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J.B. Smoove on the end of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’: ‘I was just blessed to be a part of it’ [Exclusive Video Interview] (2024)

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