Sam Bankman-Fried pushed for his dad to get cast in an FTX commercial featuring Larry Davif that aired during the Super Bowl — because his father was a big fan of the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star, according to a report.
Joseph Bankman appeared alongside the “Curb” curmudgeon in the ad, which aired during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals on Feb. 13, 2022.
At around the time the commercial was made, Bankman was officially hired as an employee by his son’s crypto company, which at its height reached a valuation of $32 billion before it imploded last November.
Bankman-Fried’s younger brother, Gabe, broached the idea of his father appearing in the commercial, which cost FTX $20 million to produce and to air, according to Bloomberg News.
The family loved David and Gabe Bankman-Fried raised the topic because his dad, a Stanford University law professor, was too humble to demand a cameo himself, the outlet reported.
A few months later, Bankman-Fried reportedly wrote to his family that his dad got a bit part in the two-and-a-half minute commercial, which featured David playing an uber-skeptic who rejects world-altering inventions that advance humanity such as the wheel, the toilet, the fork, coffee, and the Declaration of Independence.
“No king?” David, who is dressed in a revolution-era wig and garb, screamed at the country’s founding fathers as they prepared to sign the historic document giving birth to the nation.
“Gentlemen, have you taken leave of your senses?” David asked.
“The people shall have the right to vote,” one of the signatories responded.
“Even the stupid ones?” David retorted.
The camera then panned to Bankman, who is seen similarly costumed.
“Yes!” Bankman yells.
At the end of the commercial, David is offered a chance to embrace another new invention — cryptocurrency.
Still in character, he declined. Fans of David noted in hindsight that he was correct in his prediction of cryptocurrency’s decline.
Bankman-Fried and his parents declined comment.
The Post has reached out to FTX.
Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire imploded a few months after the commercial aired and he was indicted last December on several fraud and money laundering charges.
His parents’ role before Bankman-Fried’s downfall has drawn increased scrutiny as the Oct. 2 trial date approaches.
Risa Heller, the spokeswoman for Bankman-Fried’s parents, told Bloomberg News that Bankman and his wife, fellow Stanford law professor Barbara Fried, were merely being supportive of their son — which was the extent of their involvement with FTX.
In the weeks following the arrest of their son in the Bahamas last November, it was learned that Bankman and Fried were listed as the owners of a $16.4 million mansion in a gated community on the island.
Sam Bankman-Fried, who for weeks has been housed in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after violating the terms of his bail, is alleged to have broken the law when he used FTX customer deposits to cover risky bets made by his hedge fund, Alameda Research.
Sam Bankman-Fried and his cronies are alleged to have spent large amounts of funds from FTX on personal loans as well as real estate properties, political donations, and marketing and advertising.
He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Bankman-Fried faces decades behind bars.
David and other celebrity endorsers of FTX including Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, and Shaquille O’Neal have been sued in class-action litigation by those who say they were victimized by their touting of the doomed cryptocurrency exchange.
The Post has sought comment from David.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
