Michelle Obama has been out of the White House for years, but politics still appears to follow her into her post-Washington life. The former first lady now works in entertainment alongside her husband through Higher Ground, the production company the Obamas founded after leaving the White House. But according to a report from the U.K.’s […]

Michelle Obama has been out of the White House for years, but politics still appears to follow her into her post-Washington life.

The former first lady now works in entertainment alongside her husband through Higher Ground, the production company the Obamas founded after leaving the White House. But according to a report from the U.K.’s Daily Mail, that world may not be quite as detached from political score-settling as it seems.

The newspaper reported that Michelle Obama used her influence to keep actress Cheryl Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., away from a new Higher Ground project involving Larry David.

That would be notable under any circumstances, but especially because Hines and David have a long professional history. Hines played David’s wife on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the HBO comedy that ran for 12 seasons and made her closely associated with his work.

The new project, “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America,” is a seven-part sketch series that debuted June 26. The series, timed around America’s 250th birthday, is meant to take a comedic look at the country’s history. But the reported dispute behind the scenes does not sound especially lighthearted.

The Daily Mail, citing unnamed sources close to the production, reported that Michelle Obama made it clear Hines was not welcome because of her connection to Kennedy and, by extension, the Trump administration.

One source told the outlet that Hines was “devastated” by the decision. According to the report, Hines had hoped to work with David again after their years together on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

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“Cheryl felt terribly hurt and emotionally injured because she had worked so closely with Larry for the entire 12 seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm and they had become like bosom buddies,” an insider told the Daily Mail.

The source said Hines believed David, despite his well-known opposition to Trump, might be able to separate politics from their working relationship.

“But banning Cheryl was a command from Michelle that Larry could not go against, even if he had wanted to, for old time’s sake,” the insider reportedly said.

According to the Daily Mail, several familiar names from David’s past are involved in the new series. The outlet noted that Variety had reported appearances from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” veterans, along with Jerry Seinfeld, who co-created “Seinfeld” with David. Former President Barack Obama also reportedly appears on camera.

That makes Hines’ absence stand out even more.

The Daily Mail quoted another insider as saying that when Hines’ name was raised by people involved in the production, Michelle Obama reacted strongly.

“We cannot and will not have that woman on this show. She’s not one of us,” the source claimed Obama said.

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The reported reasoning, according to the outlet, was less about Hines herself than about Kennedy’s role in the Trump administration. One source claimed Michelle Obama viewed Kennedy as a turncoat from the Democratic Party and objected to Hines because of her marriage to him and her proximity to Trump’s political world.

Hines has not avoided politics entirely. As Kennedy moved closer to Trump, she became more visible in that arena as well, including during a contentious appearance on “The View” last year.

Still, if the Daily Mail’s account is accurate, the situation raises an obvious question: Was Hines excluded because of her own work, or because of who she married?

The name Higher Ground has always carried a political echo, especially given Michelle Obama’s famous 2016 line, “When they go low, we go high.” That makes the allegation especially awkward. Blocking someone from a comedy project because of family political ties would be a strange way to live up to that message.

Of course, Hines may not have missed out on a runaway hit.

Early reaction to “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” has been mixed. Chicago critic Richard Roeper called it “pretty, pretty, pretty funny,” borrowing David’s famous phrase from “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The Hollywood Reporter was far less impressed, closing its review by saying that it might be ready for another season “in another 250 years, give or take.”

For Hines, though, the reviews may be beside the point. If the report is accurate, this was not just about a missed role. It was about being shut out of a reunion with one of her best-known collaborators because of politics.

The Western Journal