Tabloid rumors, for what they're worth, are suggesting that the dissolution of Al and Tipper Gore's marriage may not be the model of civility it appeared. Star magazine is reporting an affair between the former vice president and Laurie David, the Hollywood environmental activist and An Inconvenient Truth producer. Though David, who's earned her own share of controversy, dismisses the story as "completely untrue," she's found herself in the spotlight again. (Watch a Celeb TV report about the rumored affair)
What is Laurie David most famous for?
Two things, mainly. Many consider her "America's foremost green campaigner." Others know her as the ex-wife of Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld" and the acerbic star of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
What's her resume, in a nutshell?
As a talent booker for "Late Night With David Letterman" (responsible for "lining up the human pretzel and the woman who made jewelry out of hub caps"), she met Larry David. The two got married in 1993 and moved to Hollywood, where Laurie managed comedians such as Chris Elliott and produced MTV and HBO specials. She became a "born again" environmentalist in 1996.
What kind of green campaigning has she done?
Most famously, she was one of the producers of 2005's An Inconvenient Truth, the Oscar-winning global warming documentary starring Al Gore. She has written numerous books (The Solution is You: Stop Global Warming — An Activists' Guide) and successfully lobbied political figures from Sen. John McCain to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote green policies. When you factor in the fundraisers, anti-SUV commercials and lobbying tours of the U.S., it's clear why Vanity Fair has called her the "Bono of climate change."
Does she practice what she preaches?
Yes, according to 2007 profile of David in The Daily Telegraph. Her ex-husband, Larry David, jokingly refers to her as a "tyrant around the house": "I've been having to use recycled toilet paper and let me tell you, it's no picnic. It's the kind of paper you'd find on a whaling vessel. And she won't let me use too much water. If the shower is on for two minutes she will run in and flick the curtain open. 'You're done. You're wasting water.'"
Is that her in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"?
No. Even though Larry David plays "himself" in the HBO show, his "wife" is actress Cheryl Hines. Laurie David has admitted some of the show's plot lines were inspired by their lives, but said the fictional Mrs. David was "much nicer to Larry than I am." When the Davids separated, their TV counterparts did so too.
Why did she separate from Larry David?
The couple divorced in 2007 after 14 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. But Laurie David was forced to deny rumors the divorce was provoked by an affair with the caretaker of their Martha's Vineyard home. In a statement to Time magazine refuting the Al Gore affair allegations, David says she's currently in a "committed relationship."
Sources: LaurieDavid.com, Daily Telegraph, Outside, People
