Cheryl Hines: Navigating Comedy, Politics, and Life Unscripted

When Cheryl Hines steps into a room—whether it’s the set of a hit comedy, a political talk show, or her own kitchen in Florida—she brings with her a blend of warmth, wit, and resilience. Best known for her iconic role as Cheryl David on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hines has spent over two decades improvising both on and off screen. But in recent years, her life has become a different kind of unscripted adventure—one that thrusts her into the crosshairs of American politics, all because of her marriage to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The View from the Hot Seat

It’s an odd feeling, Hines admits, to be in the “hot seat” for someone else. “I was fielding questions—sometimes just statements—on behalf of Bobby,” she says, referring to her husband, the environmental lawyer and independent presidential candidate. “It was strange. The ladies on The View are very passionate about their views, and that’s their one view. So now, I’m used to it. I get it. That’s what they want to talk about.”

Hines’s appearances on political talk shows have become a study in contrasts. She’s found herself at the center of heated debates, not for her own stances, but for her husband’s. “The left—some people are very emotional and upset,” she observes. “My experience with the right, they have been accepting and warm. Sometimes they’ll even say, ‘I know we don’t agree on politics, but they seem more willing to find common ground and just accept you as you are.’ That’s been a little surprising, I have to tell you.”

The adjustment hasn’t always been easy. “I never expected politics to be a part of my life,” Hines says. “But now, I’m definitely finding a balance. I’m producing a film—which is very exciting—and at the same time, I am Bobby Kennedy Jr’s wife. There’s a way to do both, but some days are harder than others.”

Improv as Survival Skill

Hines credits her background in improvisational comedy with helping her navigate these unscripted moments. “I had been through a lot of training for improv. Otherwise, I would never have gotten that part on Curb Your Enthusiasm because, like you said, there was no script,” she recalls. “You can’t be thinking about what you’re going to say ahead of time because you don’t know what the question’s going to be or what someone’s going to say to you. So, I think those improv skills do help me stay present and stay focused on the person that’s talking to me.”

Her book, Unscripted, is a reflection not only of her work on Curb but also of her life’s unpredictable turns. The original pilot for Curb was shot in 1999 as a mockumentary, long before the show became a sitcom staple. “We shot that in 1999. I don’t know if it aired in 99 or 2000, but that’s when it was all happening,” she says, still marveling at the show’s longevity.

The casting process was unconventional. “I had heard they were looking for an unknown actress, someone they could blur the line with. If somebody famous came on the screen, they’d say, ‘Oh, that’s the actress from…’ But because it was me, nobody had really seen me unless you saw Swamp Thing,” she laughs.

The Curb Method: Improvising Life

Working with Larry David was a masterclass in improvisation. “Larry would write a story outline. He might say before the scene, ‘You’re going to tell me your parents are coming to stay for three weeks,’ and that’s it. That’s all he would say,” Hines explains. “Three weeks is a long time for anybody to stay with. I can only imagine this is not going to go well with Larry.”

There was no rehearsal, no script—just two cameras rolling and actors responding in real time. “If anything, we did gibberish just to let the camera crew know where I might walk, blah blah blah. That would be as much as we’d rehearse,” she says. Some guest actors found the process daunting. “Some actors don’t like it. They’re trained to read from a script and get their information. Once in a while, I was in the casting sessions, and an actor would come in to improvise with us, and sometimes that would throw actors off. I remember one guy auditioned, and he couldn’t stop laughing. Larry’s like, ‘You have to do the scene. You got to get through the scene.’ But he couldn’t, and he didn’t get the gig.”

The cast’s chemistry was palpable, with some thriving in the chaos more than others. “Suzie loved dropping those f-bombs. And Bob Einstein—Super Dave Osborne—was almost insane how funny he was. He’d say things in the middle of a scene that made no sense, but that was the magic.”

Shifting Dynamics and Lasting Bonds

As the show evolved, so did Hines’s role. After Larry and Cheryl’s on-screen divorce, she appeared less frequently. “It was hard because I love Larry and I loved Larry and Cheryl together,” she admits. “I remember a scene after we got divorced or separated. We were at a party—John Legend was singing—and I was dancing with the guy I met on the plane. Larry was dancing with Biba [Vivica Fox]. I looked over at them and it got to me. I drove home thinking, ‘Why am I so upset about Larry dancing with Biba? This is a TV show. I need to bring it down.’ But it did make me sad.”

Larry was upfront about the changes. “I got a call from him saying, ‘We’re going to do another season, but you’re not going to be in it.’ He said, ‘I want to date on the show. I feel like I have some funny stuff to do.’ So they did a season in New York, and I wasn’t in it at all. After that, I didn’t know if I would ever be in it again, but the season after that I was, though not as much.”

Ted Danson’s transition from traditional sitcoms to Curb’s improvisational format was seamless. “He’s a great actor anyway because he does really listen. But the thing he does so well is he knows what will bother Larry. If Ted and I were in a scene and Larry’s mid-sentence, Ted might reach over and hold my hand or rub my leg—just little tiny things that he knows will bother Larry. His role was just to drive Larry crazy.”

Skipping Cancel Culture

Curb Your Enthusiasm has always pushed boundaries, lampooning every conceivable group and taboo. Yet, the show seemed to dodge the era of cancel culture. “I wouldn’t say I was worried, but it was pretty interesting that it seemed to skip over us. Maybe by the time cancel culture rolled around, Larry had already made fun of everybody, and people knew he wasn’t targeting one group. He makes fun of himself so much that I guess he got grandfathered in.”

The show’s ability to walk this tightrope is, in Hines’s view, a testament to its authenticity. “Larry’s gift is that he can laugh at himself. He never wanted to do emotional, cheesy moments. Even when Larry dies in an episode, I got so tearary. After the take, Larry said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘It’s sad.’ He said, ‘No, no, go right to Jeff. Ask him about the money he owes you for the car.’ He just never wanted to do emotional.”

Remembering Richard Lewis and Bob Einstein

Hines’s affection for her co-stars runs deep, especially for Richard Lewis and Bob Einstein. “I loved Richard. Like you, I was a huge fan before I got to work with him on Curb. When I was younger, I had the biggest crush on Richard Lewis. He had a very sweet, soulful side to him. Even though everybody’s always doing comedy bits, Richard would pull you aside and say, ‘Hey, I really love you. You’re the best out there.’”

Lewis’s health struggles became apparent as the years went on. “We had worked together for so long—over 24 years. We could tell he was struggling in some aspects, and we just needed to take extra good care of him.”

Bob Einstein, too, left an indelible mark. “Bob was so crazy. One of the things he’d do that was so crazy—you know, we’d be doing a scene where we’re in the living room after a funeral and everybody’s quiet, and in between scenes, Bob would yell to Larry, ‘This is your aunt. Look at your aunt right now.’ Just no sense of editing oneself. But that was the magic.”

Cheryl’s Favorite Episode

Asked for her favorite Curb episode, Hines doesn’t hesitate. “I like the episode, which is based on a true story, where my family makes a nativity scene out of cookies, and Larry eats baby Jesus and Mary. Then my family goes crazy. He hires actors to do a live nativity scene. This was all based on a true story—at my house in Florida, everybody was walking around saying, ‘Nobody eat baby Jesus!’ I called Larry and said, ‘If you were here, you’d eat baby Jesus and my family would go crazy.’ And then he did the ‘Jesus, Mary, and Larry’ episode.”

She laughs, remembering the absurdity. “Larry had a pubic hair stuck in his throat. He’s getting in a fist fight with Joseph played by Dave Pikner, and he says, ‘I’ve got a pubic hair stuck in my throat,’ dressed as Joseph. Then the hair comes loose—it’s just a definite Curb moment.”

Life Beyond Comedy

Beyond comedy and politics, Hines is carving out new paths. “I’m producing a film, which is very exciting. I can’t tell you yet, but I’ll tell you when we’re on the next tour,” she teases. “It’s going to be a fun film, and at the same time, I am Bobby Kennedy Jr’s wife. There’s a way to do both, but some days are harder than others.”

Her lifestyle, shaped in part by her husband’s health advocacy, is practical but not dogmatic. “Are there any seed oils in your house right now? No, there are not,” she says. “He does waver sometimes, but not very often. We were just in North Carolina at a southern restaurant and he had a bite of something—not typical. He doesn’t eat a whole plate, but he might pick and choose.”

As for her own discipline, Hines is candid. “So much of it is common sense, really. I’ve always been doing especially ultraprocessed foods—once you cut those out. But I still put sugar in my coffee. There are still things that I veer off more than he does, but I have a little more discipline in that regard. I can take a bite of something and walk away; he can’t.”

The Political Adventure

Hines reflects on the journey of Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s campaign. “At the beginning, you could have never imagined how that story would end. Even when he switched from Democrat to independent, we thought, ‘I don’t think that will ever happen.’ But you knew. The party had become so radical, and Bobby was sane and decent—the Kennedy that my parents loved.”

Despite the challenges, Hines sees the adventure as transformative. “The ideas Bobby talks about—being healthier—hit with everybody and cross party lines. That’s what we should be doing: listening and seeing, issue by issue, what we connect to. He has a way of doing that with people, which I think is admirable.”

Florida Roots and Looking Ahead

A Florida girl at heart, Hines feels grounded by her roots. “I’m in Florida a lot. My whole family is in Florida,” she says. Though Hollywood is never far away, she’s found a new sense of home and purpose.

As she continues to balance comedy, activism, and family, Cheryl Hines remains, above all, unscripted. Her journey is a testament to the power of improvisation—not just as a comedic tool, but as a way of life. Whether navigating the unpredictable world of politics or creating unforgettable moments on screen, Hines proves that sometimes, the best stories are the ones you couldn’t have written in advance.