Larry David Reveals He Lost 'a Lot of Money' on Controversial 2022 Crypto Super Bowl Ad

Declan Gallagher
·2 min read
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Larry David revealed that he lost money on his infamous FTX cryptocurrency ad which aired during the 2022 Super Bowl. He spoke with The Associated Press on the red carpet at Tuesday night’s premiere for the 12th and final season of his HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The meteoric rise and equally swift fall of FTX is well-documented, with its founder Sam Bankman-Fried recently found guilty of fraud and money laundering. He is facing more than 100 years in prison.

David was courted to appear in the ad, his first Super Bowl commercial, by the marketing masterminds at FTX. The spot depicts a quizzical David presciently predicting the fall of crypto, before showing him in a variety of time periods expressing doubt over pivotal inventions. The ad ends by telling audiences, “Don’t be like Larry. Don’t miss out on the next big thing.”

David was subsequently named in a class action lawsuit along with the company’s other celebrity ambassadors, such as Steph Curry, Tom Brady, and Gisele Bündchen. The suit accuses FTX and its partners of targeting “unsophisticated investors from across the country.”

Calling himself “an idiot” for appearing in the spot, David explained that he relied on close confidantes to make the decision for him. “I asked people, friends of mine, who were well-versed in this stuff, ‘Should I do this? Is there anything wrong with me doing this? Is this OK?’” David explained. “They said, yeah, this is totally on the up and up. It’s fine do it.

“So, like an idiot I did it. [Now] I’m [named] in a class action lawsuit, which I would love to be part of!” David exclaimed, before revealing that he was also duped by FTX. “Part of my salary was in crypto,” he explained, “so I lost a lot of money.”

David has previously admitted to not having any understanding of cryptocurrency before appearing in the ad. The commercial was directed by Jeff Schaffer, a longtime colleague of David’s who had directed episodes of Seinfeld and Curb in addition to creating The League. In a New York Times profile, Schaffer likewise revealed he didn’t know a thing about cryptocurrency.

“I’m excited to have someone try to explain it to me at some point,” Schaffer laughed on the last day of the commercial shoot.