Cocaine-Fueled Chaos of 1980s TV Revealed by ‘Seinfeld’ Writer

Larry Charles, the iconic comedy writer behind shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, is pulling back the curtain on the wild, drug-fueled world of 1980s television in his new memoir, Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter—and the stories are jaw-dropping.

In a recent interview with Page Six, Charles described a Hollywood where cocaine use wasn’t just common—it was practically part of the job.

“That’s how the work got done,” he said, bluntly recalling his early days writing for Fridays, an ABC sketch show often compared to SNL. The show featured future comedy giants like Michael Richards and Larry David, but behind the scenes, it was fueled by absurd deadlines and even more absurd drug use.

“In the beginning, when you first started doing coke, it gives you incredible energy, it gives you incredible confidence,” Charles said, admitting that writers leaned heavily on it to survive impossible timelines. “These are deadlines that humans can’t really meet without some kind of supplement.”

And it wasn’t just the writers. Producers, executives, and even restaurant-goers were openly indulging. “You could go to a restaurant and see people doing lines at the table,” Charles recalled. “There was no hiding it.”

But the high didn’t last forever. Charles, now 68, said he was one of the lucky ones—he quit cold turkey. “At a certain point, it takes its turn and starts to have the opposite effect,” he warned. Others weren’t so fortunate, with some spiraling into crack addiction and losing their careers—or their lives.

His memoir doesn’t just cover the drug-fueled days. It also digs into his long, complicated relationship with Larry David, whom he once considered a mentor. Though they worked closely on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, they reportedly had a falling out over a documentary project and haven’t spoken since 2022. Charles insists there’s no bitterness, just the natural drift of aging friendships. “It’s not that sad,” he said. “It’s just life.”

The book also explores Charles’ work with Sacha Baron Cohen on Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator, as well as directing music legend Bob Dylan. But those professional highs were often offset by personal lows. In recent years, Charles has endured a heart attack and lost his home to California wildfires. He credits his second wife and a “great psychiatrist” with helping him pull through.

“I didn’t deserve to be treating myself that way,” he said. “I could do better.”

Raw, reflective, and unflinchingly honest, Comedy Samurai is packed with jaw-dropping Hollywood tales and the wisdom that only comes from surviving them.