Will Ferrell recalls telling fan to ‘shut up’ after she said he was ‘no Larry David’
Will Ferrell recalls telling fan to ‘shut up’ after she said he was ‘no Larry David’
Kathleen PerriconeMon, July 27, 2026 at 10:15 PM UTC
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Will Ferrell on July 16 in New York City; Larry David on June 23 in HollywoodCredit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty. Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via GettyKey Points -
Will Ferrell shared a story about chatting with a fan at a restaurant when she remarked, “You’re no Larry David.”
The SNL alum laughed it off, until she said it again.
“Why don’t you go back to your table and shut up?” Ferrell recalled telling her.
Will Ferrell had to curb his enthusiasm after a fan compared him to Larry David.
TheSaturday Night Livealum recounted an “amazing experience” at a restaurant once when a woman gave her unsolicited opinion, comparing Ferrell to the curmudgeonly comedian — and his reaction was far from “pretty good.”
Ferrell was walking to the restroom “and I just happen to be in lock step with this woman,” the Elf star recalled to Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused.
After exchanging pleasantries, she gushed, “‘You’re very funny… but you’re no Larry David.’ And, I go, ‘Oh, well, yeah.’ I kind of chuckled. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? He’s one of the best. He’s a king.’ Anyway, she goes to the bathroom.”
Larry David and Will Ferrell in a ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch with Maya Rudolph in 2019Credit: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Moments later, the two just so happened to exit their respective restrooms at the same time — and the female fan picked up right where she left off with Ferrell.
“I’m serious, you’re no Larry David,” she reiterated. “You’re not even close to him.”
Ferrell felt compelled to “stand up for myself” and shut down the woman in a way that would probably make the Curb Your Enthusiasm star proud, he explained to Horowitz.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I get it. You like Larry David,’” Ferrell recalled. “‘Why don’t you go back to your table and shut up?’”
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As the woman recoiled in shock, the Anchorman star beelined it back to his seat. He could only imagine what she must have told her dining companions about her bathroom brush with fame.
“‘I just met that Buddy the Elf. He’s an asshole,’” Ferrell joked. “‘I just told him I love Larry David.’”
The comedian, who is currently starring in Netflix’s The Hawk with SNL costars Molly Shannon and Chris Parnell, said it was “very rare” that someone gives him critical feedback.
But when it does happen, his reaction isn’t typically to tell them “shut up.” If he’s feeling “cheeky,” he’ll play along.
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“I had one guy go, ‘I don’t care what they say. I think you’re hilarious,’” Ferrell recalled to Horowitz. “And I said, ‘Well, thank you, but what are they saying?’ He’s like, ‘What?’ No, you said, ‘I don’t care what they say. Well, who’s they?’”
When the fan backtracked, Ferrell only doubled down. “No, let’s sit down and talk about it. I want to break it down. Who’s they? Give me the list.”
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
