SALON TALKS

JB Smoove is Larry David's black guardian angel

JB Smoove's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" character Leon Black gives advice for all, as if he's talking to Larry

By D. Watkins

Editor at Large

Published October 28, 2017 6:30PM (EDT)

Larry David and J.B. Smoove in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)
Larry David and J.B. Smoove in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)

Fans are excited about the new season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; especially in these tough political times, we need humor from greats like Larry David and his crew, who have the ability to put out some of the fires that the Trump administration is setting all over the country.

Of David’s clique, Leon Black, played by JB Smoove, is my favorite. He acts as Larry’s black guardian angel, giving him the confidence he needs go out into the world and proudly piss off anyone and everyone he comes in contact with.

Earlier this week, Smoove visited "Salon Talks" to give us some updates on Larry, what we can expect in the new season of "Curb" and glimpses into his new fiction-meets-self-help memoir, "The Book of Leon: Philosophy of a Fool."

"Normally Leon gives Larry advice, so when I thought about Leon writing a book, I thought about Leon giving Larry advice, so Larry can turn around and give it back to him," Smoove said.

Smoove told Larry about the idea while filming.

"We were just shooting a scene, and I said you know I'm writing a book. He said oh that's cool, and then Larry's like you know what, you should write a Leon book."

Watch our full "Salon Talks" conversation on Facebook to hear about how Smoove got permission from HBO to write the book, his new life as a writer and what he has in store for the fans.

Tune into Salon's live shows, "Salon Talks" and "Salon Stage," daily at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, streaming live on Salon and on Facebook.


By D. Watkins

D. Watkins is an Editor at Large for Salon. He is also a writer on the HBO limited series "We Own This City" and a professor at the University of Baltimore. Watkins is the author of the award-winning, New York Times best-selling memoirs “The Beast Side: Living  (and Dying) While Black in America”, "The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir," "Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope" as well as "We Speak For Ourselves: How Woke Culture Prohibits Progress." His new books, "Black Boy Smile: A Memoir in Moments," and "The Wire: A Complete Visual History" are out now.

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