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Wikipedia

Bill Maher

March 17, 2024

For other people named Bill Maher, see Bill Maher (disambiguation).

William Maher (/mɑːr/; born January 20, 1956)[2] is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. In 2022, Maher started the podcast Club Random.[3]

Bill Maher
Maher in 2010
Birth nameWilliam Maher[1]
Born (1956-01-20) January 20, 1956 (age 68)
New York City, U.S.
MediumStand-up, television, film, books, podcast
Alma materCornell University (BA)
Years active1979–present
GenresPolitical/news satire, observational comedy, insult comedy, black comedy
Subject(s)Mass media/news media/media criticism, American politics, American culture, current events, religion, pop culture
Websitebillmaher.com

Maher is known for his political satire[4] and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, political correctness, and the mass media.[5] His critical views of religion were the basis for his 2008 documentary film Religulous. He is a supporter of animal rights, having served on the board of PETA since 1997,[6] and is an advisory board member of Project Reason.[7][8] Maher supports the legalization of cannabis, serving on the advisory board of NORML.[9]

In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.[10] He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010.[11] Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for his work as executive producer for Vice in 2014.[12] He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.

Early life and education

Maher was born in New York City. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr.,[1] was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie Maher (née Berman), was a nurse.[2] He was raised in his Irish-American father's Roman Catholic religion. Until his early teens, he was unaware that his mother, whose family was from Hungary, was Jewish.[13][14][15][16] Owing to his disagreement with the Catholic Church's doctrine about birth control, Maher's father stopped taking Maher and his sister to Catholic church services when Maher was thirteen.[17]

Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974.[2][18] He then attended Cornell University, where he double-majored in English and history, and graduated in 1978.[19] Maher has said, "Selling pot allowed me to get through college and make enough money to start off in comedy."[18]

Career

Early career

Maher began his career as a comedian and actor. He was host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979. Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson's and David Letterman's shows in 1982.[20] He made limited television appearances including on Sara (1985),[21] Max Headroom (1987),[22] Murder, She Wrote (1989, 1990),[21] and Charlie Hoover (1991). His feature film debut was in D.C. Cab (1983).[21] He later appeared in Ratboy (1986),[21] House II: The Second Story (1987),[21] Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1988),[21] Newhart (1988), hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS (1990) and Pizza Man (1991).[21]

Television career

Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher

Main article: Politically Incorrect
 
Seth MacFarlane speaking at a ceremony for Maher to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2010

Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a late-night political talk show that ran on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and on ABC from 1997 to 2002. The show regularly began with a topical monologue by Maher preceding the introduction of four guests, usually a diverse group of individuals, such as show business, popular culture, political pundits, political consultants, authors, and occasionally news figures. The group would discuss topical issues selected by Maher, who also participated in the discussions.[23] Jerry Seinfeld, a regular guest on the show, stated that Politically Incorrect reminded him of talk shows from the 1950s and '60s "when guests interacted with each other as much as with the host".[23]

Politically Incorrect won an array of awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show. Maher earned numerous award nominations for his producing, writing, and hosting of Politically Incorrect, including ten Emmy nominations, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations. ABC decided against renewing Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect in 2002, after he made a controversial on-air remark six days after the September 11 attacks.[24] He agreed with his guest, conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza, that the 9/11 terrorists did not act in a cowardly manner (in rebuttal to President Bush's statement calling them cowards). Maher said, "We have been the cowards. Lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building. Say what you want about it. Not cowardly. You're right." Maher later clarified that his comment was not anti-military in any way whatsoever, referencing his well-documented longstanding support for the American military.[25][26] After receiving complaints, FedEx and Sears pulled their advertisements from the show, costing the show significant revenue.[27][28]

Maher's remarks after 9/11 were not the first time he had sparked controversy on Politically Incorrect. In the same year, he expressed his deep regrets and apologized after being widely criticized for comparing his dogs to mentally disabled children.[29] The show was canceled on June 16, 2002, and the Sinclair Broadcast Group had dropped the show from its ABC-affiliated stations months prior. On June 22, 2002, just six days after the cancellation of Politically Incorrect, Maher received the Los Angeles Press Club president's award (for "championing free speech").[28] Maher was on the board of judges for the 2002 PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award, which included writer Vanessa Leggett, imprisoned for 168 days for protecting sources and research notes.[30]

Real Time with Bill Maher

Main article: Real Time with Bill Maher

In 2003, Maher became the host, co-producer, and co-writer of Real Time with Bill Maher, a weekly hour-long political comedy talk show on the cable television network HBO. In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time through 2018, for its 15th and 16th seasons.[31] During an interview, Maher told Terry Gross (on NPR's Fresh Air) that he much prefers having serious and well-informed guests on his program, as opposed to the random celebrities that fleshed out his roundtable discussions on Politically Incorrect.[32]

As with his previous show, Politically Incorrect, Maher begins Real Time with a comic opening monologue based upon current events and other topical issues. He proceeds to a one-on-one interview with a guest, either in-studio or via satellite. Following the interview, Maher sits with two or three panelists—usually consisting of pundits, authors, activists, actors, politicians, and journalists—for a discussion of the week's events.

Real Time has earned widespread praise. It has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer's Guild awards. In 2007, Maher and his co-producers were awarded the Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America.[33] Maher holds the record for the most Emmy nominations without a win, having been nominated on 22 occasions and not winning once. Eleven of the nominations were for Politically Incorrect, while nine were for Real Time. The other two were nominations for two of his HBO comedy specials: I'm Swiss and Bill Maher: The Decider.[34]

Notable responses to Real Time episodes

In late May 2005, Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus sent a letter to Time Warner's board of directors requesting Real Time be canceled after remarks Maher made after noting the military had missed its recruiting goals by 42 percent. Bachus said he felt the comments were demeaning to the military and treasonous. Maher stated his highest regard and support for the troops and asked why the congressman criticized him instead of doing something about the recruitment problem.[35]

On September 17, 2010, Maher aired a clip of Delaware Republican Senatorial candidate Christine O'Donnell from the October 29, 1999, episode of his old show Politically Incorrect on his current show Real Time with Bill Maher,[36][37] where she mentioned that she had "dabbled in witchcraft". This was one of the most notable of numerous controversial statements by O'Donnell that made her the most covered candidate in the 2010 mid-term election cycle.[38][39]

In February 2017, Maher interviewed Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time regarding prior comments in which Yiannopolous seemed to express sympathy toward perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Although some fans and pundits initially criticized Maher for platforming the controversial pundit, ultimately the appearance brought more publicity to the comments and harmed Yiannopolous's career. In the days following the interview, Yiannopoulos had his invitation to speak before the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference rescinded, as well as a book deal with Simon & Schuster cancelled. Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned as an editor at Breitbart News. When asked whether Yiannopoulos's interview on his show was among the causes of his resignation, Maher concurred, saying, "As I say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. You're welcome."[40]

In 2019, during a "New Rules" segment of Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher stated that he questioned Stan Lee's legacy, that comic books are not literature, and that adult fans of comic books "need to grow up".[41][42][43]

Political commentator

Maher is a frequent commentator on various cable news networks, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and HLN. Maher has regularly appeared on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer[44] and has also been a frequent guest on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews,[45] The Rachel Maddow Show,[46] and Countdown with Keith Olbermann.[47] Maher has also appeared as a guest on HLN's The Joy Behar Show.[48] He wrote the foreword for the 2002 book, Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth by show host Bill Press.[49]

Maher hosted the January 13, 2006, edition of Larry King Live, on which he was a frequent guest. Maher appeared as a special guest on the June 29, 2010, edition of the show, on which CNN anchor Larry King announced his retirement.[50] Maher co-emceed the final show of Larry King Live on December 16, 2010, with Ryan Seacrest.[51]

Other work

In 2004, Maher appeared on stage as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of "Hollywood Hell House", a spoof of Christian-run hell houses. The show was a faithful reproduction of an evangelistic scare-experience written by Reverend Keenan Roberts to terrify teenagers into declaring themselves Christians. "Our faith is that putting this up as itself, it will hoist itself on its own petard, that it's comical just as it is," explained producer Maggie Rowe. The show featured a rotating cast of over 160 celebrities, including Andy Richter (Jesus), Richard Belzer, Dave Thomas, Traci Lords, Craig Bierko, Sarah Silverman, and Julia Sweeney.[52]

Maher and director Larry Charles teamed up to make the movie Religulous, described by trade publication Variety as a documentary "that spoofs religious extremism across the world". It was released on October 3, 2008.[53][54]

In 2013, Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice.[55][56] Also in 2013, Maher appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and offered to pay $5 million to a charity if Donald Trump would produce his birth certificate to prove that Trump's mother had not mated with an orangutan. Maher said this in response to Trump having previously challenged President Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, and having offered $5 million payable to a charity of Obama's choice if Obama would produce his college applications, transcripts, and passport records.[57][58]

In response to Maher's offer, Trump produced his birth certificate, and then Trump launched a lawsuit after Maher was not forthcoming, claiming that Maher's $5 million offer was legally binding. "I don't think he was joking", Trump said. "He said it with venom."[57] Trump withdrew his lawsuit against the comedian after eight weeks.[59]

On May 13, 2016, Maher and his friend Michael Moore announced on YouTube that they are going to make a movie called The Kings of Atheism.[60]

On March 21, 2022, Maher launched a podcast titled Club Random, a series hosting one-on-one interviews with guests, recorded in his bar at home, where he discusses everything except politics.[3] Guest have included Quentin Tarantino, Jimmy Kimmel, Bella Thorne, Judd Apatow, Mike Tyson, Killer Mike, and William Shatner.[61] In February 2024, Maher revealed that he decided not to release a two-hour interview with Kanye West recorded for Club Random because of the rapper’s recent antisemitic comments.[62]

Views

 
Maher and Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA. Maher is on the board of directors of the animal rights group.

Maher often eschews political labels, referring to himself as "practical", although he has generally held moderately liberal views over the years.[63] Maher stands against political correctness. In his words, "The difference is that liberals protect people, and P.C. people protect feelings."[64] In the past, he has also described himself as a libertarian, and has also referred to himself "as a progressive, as a sane person".[65][66] In a 2012 panel discussion with Salman Rushdie, Maher counted himself, Rushdie, and others such as Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris as "9/11 liberals", noting that they differentiate themselves from many mainstream liberals in saying that not all religions are alike and that they are not bigoted in criticizing a particular religion.[67] He said in a later interview: "It's ridiculous to label criticism of a religion as a phobia of a religion. I'm going to criticize any person or group that violates liberal principles...."[64]

Maher favors the ending of corporate welfare and federal funding of non-profits; he also favors the legalization of gambling, prostitution, and cannabis.[68][69] Maher also supports the death penalty.[70]

Maher describes himself as an environmentalist, and he has spoken in favor of the Kyoto treaty on global warming on his show Real Time. He often criticizes industry figures involved in environmental pollution.[71] He is a board member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.[7] The comedian has noted the paradox of people claiming they distrusted "elite" politicians while at the same time wanting elite doctors to treat them and elite lawyers to represent them in court.[72]

 
Maher with Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia)

Candidates and endorsements

Despite being a member of the Democratic Party, Maher has voted for Bob Dole and Ralph Nader.[73] Maher also considers himself to be at odds with both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.[73]

In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Maher announced his support for U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).[74] Although Maher welcomed Obama's electoral victory, he soon became critical of the new president for not acting more boldly on health care reform and other progressive issues.[75] On February 23, 2012, after his "Crazy Stupid Politics" special streamed on Yahoo! Screen, Maher announced that he was contributing $1 million to Priorities USA, the Obama SuperPAC.[76][77]

In the lead-up to the 2014 midterm elections, Maher conducted a "Flip a District" contest on his HBO show. His audience was asked to select one "terrible, entrenched" member of Congress in a close election race—"the loserest loser of all"—to remove from office. Maher aimed to help oust that representative by shining a "national spotlight" on the politician during segments of his show and stand-up comedy appearances in that member's district during the Fall election.[78][79] Maher ultimately selected Republican Representative John Kline from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, but he failed to prevent him from winning against his Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party opponent Mike Obermueller.[80]

In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Maher initially endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders on February 5, 2016. Maher later announced his support for Hillary Clinton after Clinton won the nomination from the Democratic Party primary elections in June 2016.[81] In October 2016, Maher criticized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing leaks from the DNC's emails, saying: "I really feel like he's lost his way a little, and he hates Hillary."[82] On March 31, 2017, following her defeat, Maher responded on air to suggestions Clinton was ready to end her low profile and speak out: "Hillary, stay in the woods. Okay. You had your shot. You fucked it up. You're Bill Buckner. We had the World Series, and you let the grounder go through your legs. Let someone else have the chance."[83] In August 2019, Maher said an economic recession would be "worth it" if Donald Trump does not get re-elected in 2020. He said: "We have survived many recessions. We can't survive another Donald Trump term."[84]

Over the course of 20 different editions of Real Time with Bill Maher broadcast between April 13, 2018, and August 7, 2020[85] and in several press interviews,[86] Maher predicted that Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, dedicating a 'New Rules' end segment to the subject on January 25, 2020.[87] Maher highlighted Trump's own public references to Maher's assertions that Trump was "not going to leave", and quoted Trump's March 14, 2019, assertion that "I have the support of the police, the military, the bikers [for Trump]" and "the tough people",[88] citing this as evidence that Trump would seek to remain in office by force. Maher predicted there would be violence by armed Trump supporters attempting to keep Trump in power and criticized Democratic Party politicians for not taking the threat seriously:

"So my question to all Democratic candidates is: what's the plan? If you win, and the next day he claims he's voiding the election because of irregularities he's hearing about, what do you do? What do you do when the crowd that was in Virginia this week, 22,000 strong, marches on Washington? This is a scary moment. And when I've asked Democrats, 'What do we do if he doesn't go?', their answer is always some variation of 'We have to win big!'... First of all, NO! No, we don't have to win by a landslide! Jesus, fucking Democrats! I am so sick of Democrats volunteering to play by two different sets of rules. That's the new paradigm? Republicans can win by one vote, but we're not legitimate unless it's a landslide? Fuck. And two, do you really think it would matter if it was? That they would suddenly get rational about math and facts? They believe Hillary ran a pedophile ring out of a pizza parlor!"

Maher later said in an August 15, 2020, interview with Vanity Fair that "we've baked it into the cake that he's not going to leave."[89] In the September 25, 2020, edition of Real Time, Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story by Michael Crowley headlined "Trump Won't Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power", which ran on page 15 of the print edition of the paper. Maher asserted that, "I got no help from the New York Times, Washington Post, [or] CNN", adding that the media "should have amplified" the severity of Trump's threats that he would refuse to concede or commit to a peaceful transition of power.[90]

In January 2022, Maher declined to run in the 2024 United States presidential election following speculation by Dana Perino that he may be called on to do so.[91]

Religion

See also: Religulous
 
Protesters outside Ryerson University awaiting the arrival of Bill Maher on September 6, 2008

Maher is highly critical of all religion and views it as highly destructive. He has been described, or self-identified, variously as an agnostic, atheist, and apatheist, while objecting to having his views defined by a single label. In his 2008 feature film Religulous, he refers to himself as agnostic.[92] He has rejected being grouped with explicit atheists, saying in 2002, "I'm not an atheist. There's a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion. Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need, but I'm not an atheist, no."[93]

Maher has occasionally referred to himself as an apatheist, saying in 2011 "I don't know what happens when you die, and I don't care." When discussing his apatheism and his views on the existence of God, he said on a scale from 1 to 7 (7 being "absolutely certain there is no god"), he was only at 6.9, like Richard Dawkins, "because we just don't know ... but we just don't think about it." He added, "There's atheist and there's agnostic, and I'm okay with us not splitting the difference on those; if you are just not a super-religious person, you are on my team."[94] Several months later on a 2012 episode of his HBO show, Maher declared that "idiots must stop claiming that atheism is a religion ... believe it or not, I don't really enjoy talking about religion all the time. In fact, not only is atheism not a religion, it's not even my hobby, and that's the best thing about being an atheist. It requires so little of your time."[95] He has reiterated his stance during other interviews, rejecting both the certitude of the existence, as well as the certitude of nonexistence of deities, concluding, "I'm saying that doubt is the only appropriate response for human beings."[96]

While critical of all organized religions, saying "they're all stupid and dangerous", Maher says all religions are not alike, and has drawn comparisons and contrasts between them.[67][97] He has said, "By any standard, Mormonism is more ridiculous than any other religion."[98] He has referred to tenets of Judaism as "insane" and "funny", and has said Buddhism "includes crazy whack shit that doesn't exist, that somebody made up, like reincarnation".[99] He has described Christianity and Islam as more "warlike", and has asserted that, like historic Christianity, present-day Islam needs to undergo its own reformation and enlightenment.[100]

In defense of his criticism of Islam, Sharia law and Muslim culture, Maher says he "believes in the values that Western people believe in which a lot of the Muslim world does not. Like separation of church and state. Like equality of the sexes. Like respect for minorities, free elections, free speech, freedom to gather. These things are not just different from cultures that don't have them.... It's better ... I would like to keep those values here."[101]

Citing studies and poll results by Pew Research Center, the World Economic Forum and others, Maher says the human rights violations and "illiberal ideas" found in Islam are not extremist views held by a small minority but are supported by a majority of citizens in Muslim countries. Maher has criticized liberals as hypocritical for defending these core liberal values and ideals only at home, while not condemning the oppression of these values and groups in Muslim culture.[100][102] Regarding the more recent publicity generated by his stance in the ongoing debate, Maher says he thinks people are finally paying closer attention to a conversation that they need to have. "I'm just shining a light on the reality of the situation. I don't even understand why this is so controversial."[100]

Maher received the 2009 Richard Dawkins Award from Atheist Alliance International.[103] He was an advisory board member of author Sam Harris's Project Reason, a foundation that promotes scientific knowledge and secular values within society.[104]

National security

On June 7, 2013, Maher expressed on his show limited support for the NSA's PRISM intelligence data collection from private phone calls and the Internet, saying that the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons was the tipping point for him. While he stated that he trusted the Obama administration to employ the program responsibly, he described the NSA's access to private data as a "slippery slope", and worried about whether other politicians would be as responsible.[105]

Since the 9/11 attacks, he has endorsed certain uses of profiling at airports, saying that "Places like Israel, where they have faced terrorism for a long time, of course understand that profiling is part of all detective work. It's part of all police work. If they stop calling it profiling and start calling it high-intelligence screening or something, people would go, it's about time."[106]

Maher opposed Trump's Executive Order 13769, an order which banned entry into the US of citizens from five majority-Muslim countries and has hosted multiple guests, including Sam Harris and Jim Jefferies, on his show who have also opposed the order.[107][108] In 2022, Maher criticized the Biden administration's Disinformation Governance Board and agreed with the comparison that the board was similar to the Ministry of truth from George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.[109][110]

Foreign policy

Maher favors having a strong military,[111] but has said he is disenchanted with the size of the American military[112] and defense spending.[113]

In 2015, Maher criticized Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally, saying: "Stop respecting their medieval bullshit under the guise of, 'It's their culture.'"[114] Maher opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and has summarized his opinion by saying that the United States and the world have had to pay too high a price for the war.[115]

On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Maher says he is "more on the side of the Israelis" and does not consider both sides equally guilty. He acknowledges that "Palestinians do have gripes", and he has been critical of U.S. financial aid to Israel, saying "they don't need our money, they can handle it themselves." Maher also notes that most Israelis would prefer a two-state solution and oppose the hard-line stance of their Israeli government, which he describes as having been taken over by their version of the Tea Party. However, Maher has defended Israel's military actions against Palestinian militants amid criticism over civilian deaths and disproportionate casualty count between Israelis and Palestinians during the 2014 Gaza war. He argues that Israel is still showing restraint, and he finds it ironic that the same people who were incredulous over how the Jews in World War II were led "to their slaughter", cannot understand why they are defending themselves now.[99][116] Maher faced online backlash for tweeting that "Dealing w/ Hamas is like dealing w/ a crazy woman who's trying to kill u - u can only hold her wrists so long before you have to slap her" at the start of the war.[117] In August 2019, Maher denounced the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, saying: "It's predicated on this notion ... I think it's very shallow thinking that the Jews in Israel are mostly white and Palestinians are mostly brown, so they must be innocent and correct and the Jews must be wrong."[118] He responded to Rep. Rashida Tlaib's call to boycott his talk show: "Some people have one move only: boycott. Cancel. Make-go-away. But here's the thing, the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the #BDS movement, including 93% of Dems. Does Tlaib want to boycott 93% of her own party?".[119] Condemning the October 7th attacks by Hamas militants on Israel, Maher spoke about it as Israel’s 9/11, and took serious issue with people who seemed to applaud these attacks; however, he cautioned Israel not to “lose the moral high ground” in its retaliatory actions.[120] Maher expressed disappointment with former President Barack Obama over his comments on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war,[121] saying that "there is a big difference between collateral damage and what Hamas did."[122]

In April 2020, Maher criticized those who equated using the term "Wuhan virus" with racism. Stating that "Scientists...have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time. Zika is from the Zika Forest, Ebola from the Ebola River, hantavirus the Hantan River. There's the West Nile virus and Guinea worm and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and, of course, the Spanish flu." He added: "This has nothing to do with Asian Americans, and it has everything to do with China."[123]

In March 2021, Maher criticized China's treatment of Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. He said the United States has "lost" to China in the "battle for the 21st century." According to Maher, China is dominating the world while the United States is wasting time in a "never-ending woke competition."[124]

Race

In June 2017, Maher came under criticism for saying saying a off the cuff joke "I'm a house nigger" in response to guest Senator Ben Sasse offering Maher to work on the fields in his home state on Real Time. This led to calls being made by people to HBO to fire him.[125] Following the episode, HBO sent a statement to media outlets, calling Maher's remarks "inexcusable and tasteless" and said the cable network will remove that segment from future airings of the show.[126] Maher also issued a statement apologizing for the remarks saying in part, "I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive, and I regret saying it and am very sorry".[126] Maher apologized on his show and had a discussion with Michael Eric Dyson, Ice Cube, and Symone Sanders about the controversy.[127]

In 2021, Maher opposed the NFL's decision to play the "Black national anthem" before games, considering it a form of segregation.[128][129] Instead, he argued for one national anthem and rejected separate ceremonies and dorms based on race, which drew some criticism.[130]

In 2022, Maher criticized the Democratic Party for "checking boxes" in regards to candidates of different identity groups, including race. He stated that Democrats prioritize diversity over merit.[131] Maher has also spoken out against critical race theory but supports teaching the history of racism.[132][133][134]

Immigration

In November 2015, Maher expressed opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees. Maher argued that they have different values which are at odds with American values due to some refugees may be coming from places which are governed by Sharia law or want to be. Maher cited cases in the UK where Muslim immigrants had carried out female genital mutilation and honor killings.[135][136][137] In 2021, after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Maher urged America to take in Afghan refugees.[138] Maher has criticized Donald Trump's opposition to immigration, including his proposed border wall, and accused him of hypocrisy, having himself married two immigrants.[139][140] Maher has also accused Republicans of hypocrisy for opposing immigration and praising their immigrant parents, saying "You can't spend the first half of a debate bitching about how immigrants are ruining the country and the second half on the uplifting stories of your immigrant parents."[141]

Maher has criticized Democrats' approach to immigration and has praised Canada's system, saying "Canada is much more to the right on immigration. You have to have a skill. That's mostly what it's based on. Ours is mostly based on family."[142]

Gun rights and hunting rights

Maher endorsed a 2014 Maine referendum to ban the use of bait, traps and dogs to hunt bears in Maine. He specifically criticized the use of bait, referring to its use as "nothing but an execution".[143]

Maher is a gun owner, and explained in his February 12, 2013, appearance on the late-night TV talk show Conan that he owns guns for personal home protection. However, he does not identify himself as a "proud" gun owner, commenting that being a proud gun owner is akin to "saying I'm a 'proud remote control owner'". Maher has stated that statistics showing that gun owners are more likely to harm a member of their household are caused by irresponsible gun owners, and believes that tragedies such as school shootings will not lead to a fundamental change in gun laws because both Democrats and Republicans favor guns.[144] Maher has also questioned the need to own large arsenals of guns.[145] He believes the Second Amendment is "bullshit"[146][147] and said that bipartisan background check legislation proposed by Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin was “so marginal". In 2022, Maher blamed mass shooting in part due to Hollywood romanticization of gun violence in movies.[148][149] However Maher has said that despite him not liking guns he is glad that they exist saying it "levels the playing field".[150][151]

Health care

Maher supports the establishment of a Medicare-for-All universal single-payer health care system, and has consistently[152] agreed with the proposal since 2011.[153] Maher has stated that the American Medical Association is a powerful lobbying group and was one of the primary reasons why the United States had failed to enact health care reform in the decades prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act.[154][155] On the topic of getting the Affordable Care Act passed, in 2009 Maher stated that Obama should forget about trying to get 60 votes for it because "he only needs 51": "Forget getting the sixty votes or sixty percent—sixty percent of people don't believe in evolution in this country—he just needs to drag them to it, like I said, they're stupid; get health care done, with or without them."[156] On Fox News in a televised debate with Bill O'Reilly, Maher said that "if Jesus was in charge of the country we'd probably have health care for everybody."[157]

Maher has expressed the view that a lot of illness was the result of poor diet and lack of exercise, and that medicine was often not the most appropriate way of addressing illness. In an episode of his show about the 2008 presidential candidates' health plans, Maher stated that poor nutrition was a primary cause of illness, and that "the answer isn't another pill."[158] He also has said: "If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do, then you're already on drugs!"[159] He has expressed his distaste for the pharmaceutical and health care industries in general, arguing that they made their money out of treating people who are made sick by consuming unhealthy food that corporations push on the public. Maher maintains that mass consumption of high-fructose corn syrup is a contributor to the rise in frequency of obesity in the United States.[160]

In a discussion with Michael Moore about the film Sicko, Maher said, "The human body is pretty amazing; it doesn't get sick, usually, for no reason. I mean, there's some genetic stuff that can get to you, but, basically, people are sick in this country because they're poisoned. The environment is a poisoning factor, but also, we gotta say, they poison themselves. They eat shit. People eat shit, and that's, to my way of thinking, about 90 percent of why people are sick, is because they eat shit."[161]

Tara Parker-Pope and former Senator (R-TN) Bill Frist, a physician, have called Maher's criticism of the H1N1 flu vaccinations unscientific.[162] Infectious diseases expert Paul Offit wrote that misinformation about vaccines from celebrities like Maher has put children at unnecessary risk.[163]

Surgical Oncologist David Gorski criticized Maher's claims about vaccines several times on ScienceBlogs, and deemed it inappropriate that Maher received the Richard Dawkins Award.[164] Skeptics, including magician and popular science writer Martin Gardner,[165] neurologist Steven Novella,[166] and magician Jamy Ian Swiss have also strongly rebuked Maher, characterizing him as anti-science, uninformed and potentially endangering the health of fans who take his "non-medical" advice.[167] Maher responded to the criticism, saying, "What I've read about what they think I'm saying is not what I've said. I'm not a germ theory denier. I believe vaccinations can work. Polio is a good example. Do I think in certain situations that inoculating Third World children against malaria or diphtheria, or whatever, is right? Of course. In a situation like that, the benefits outweigh costs. But to me living in Los Angeles? To get a flu shot? No."[168] In 2019, Gorski again criticized Maher for his HBO interview with the doctor Jay Gordon and Maher's claims about vaccines (in particular, the influenza vaccine), including the speculation about a link between vaccines and autism, which is debunked according to consensus science.[169]

In January 2021, Maher promoted the COVID-19 lab leak theory.[170] On April 16, 2021, Maher called media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic "panic porn" and added that "When all of our sources for medical information have an agenda to spin us, yeah, you wind up with a badly misinformed population, including on the left."[171]

Cannabis legalization

Maher, who has a California medical marijuana card, openly and publicly uses cannabis, and has been a visible supporter of cannabis law reform. Maher is a member of the advisory boards for both the NORML and Marijuana Policy Project, organizations that support regulated legalization of cannabis.[68][69] He sold cannabis while in college at Cornell and credits it for making his college and the beginning of his career as a comic possible.[172] In 2015, Maher called on then President Barack Obama to pardon people incarcerated for marijuana offenses and later praised President Joe Biden for pardoning citizens convicted of marijuana offenses.[173][174] He has been called "one of the brightest torches for sensible marijuana policy" and "a contemporary cannabis statesman".[175]

Conspiracy theories

Maher has been a critic of 9/11 conspiracy theories. On October 19, 2007, Maher confronted several 9/11 truthers and had them ejected from his show audience after they interrupted the live show numerous times by calling out from the audience. The incident drew significant media attention and praise from Fox News talk show host and frequent critic John Gibson.[176]

Maher has spoken out against QAnon and the conspiracy theories they have promoted.[177] Maher has criticized the decision to ban conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from Twitter saying "I don't like Alex Jones, but Alex Jones gets to speak. Everybody gets to speak."[178][179]

Gender and sexuality

Maher has been critical of the #MeToo movement, describing it in February 2018 as McCarthyism.[180][181] He has supported Chris Matthews against allegations of sexual harassment in 2020.[182] He has also downplayed the sexual harassment allegations against former senator Al Franken including rejecting the idea that Franken was a "sexual predator" and has suggested that the allegations against Franken were political.[183][184]

Maher supports same-sex marriage.[185] He has referred to arguments against same-sex marriage as "bankrupt".[186] In May 2022, on more people are identifying as LGBT, Maher said "Yes, part of the rise in LGBT numbers is from people feeling free enough to tell it to a pollster, and that’s all good, but some of it is [because] it’s trendy".[187] Maher also referred to puberty blockers and other transgender health care for trans youth as "literally experimenting on children".[188] GLAAD criticized Maher for these statements and referred to him as transphobic, citing articles from organizations such as the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics that state gender-affirming care is medically appropriate.[189][190]

Maher has also criticized the Democratic Party's approach to sex education on multiple occasions.[191][192][193] In March 2022, Maher rebuked liberals for their opposition to the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act and defended Republicans for pushing the bill.[191] In 2023, he criticized the Biden administration for its support for preferred gender pronouns and discussing sexuality within schools.[192][193]

2023 WGA strike

Maher criticized the 2023 WGA strike on his Club Random podcast. Speaking to comedian Jim Gaffigan in September 2023, has stated, "they kind of believe that you’re owed a living as a writer, and you’re not". He went on to say that "They're asking for a lot of things that are, like, kooky."[194] In an interview with TMZ Maher stated he supported the strike and added that the writers have "legitimate gripes" with the studios. However, Maher clarified his problems with the strike noting "there are some things that [the writers] are demanding I don't agree with." In particular, Maher criticized the WGA proposal of having a mandate to have a particular set number of writers on each show. He stated, "They want to micromanage the creative process in a way that I think is antithetical to anybody that is an artist. They want to tell people how many people, what kind of people you can have working on your show, writing on your show". Maher stated his wish to have Governor Gavin Newsom help end the strike.[195]

On September 13, 2023, Maher released a statement on Twitter announcing his plans to restart a version of his HBO show. He wrote in part:

"Real Time is coming back...It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems and concerns...[I] will honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial".[196][197]

— Bill Maher

Maher's announcement, as well as the continuation of The Drew Barrymore Show and The View, has led to vocal protests. The Writers Guild of America released a statement describing Maher's decision as "disappointing", adding, "It is difficult to imagine how Real Time with Bill Maher can go forward without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place. WGA will be picketing this show."[198] Early the next week, Maher said he would wait a few days to see what the next round of negotiations might produce.[199]

Influences

Maher has said his influences include Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Robert Klein, and George Carlin.[200][201]

Comedians who have said they were influenced by Maher include Chris Rock[202] and Seth MacFarlane.[citation needed]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Bill Maher

Maher has received 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning for Outstanding Informational Series or Special for Vice in 2015. He also received two Grammy Award nominations and various Producers Guild of America Award and Writers Guild of America Award nominations.

Maher was honored by High Times as "Top Pot Comic in 2006" and Real Time won a Stony Award in 2006 for "Best Cable News Show". High Times later designated him as "Stoner of the Year".[203]

 
Maher next to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2010

Personal life

 
Coco Johnsen

Maher has never married.[204][205] Regarding marriage, Maher is quoted on his website as saying, "I'm the last of my guy friends to have never gotten married, and their wives—they don't want them playing with me. I'm like the escaped slave—I bring news of freedom."[206]

In 2003, he began dating former Playboy Cyber Girl Coco Johnsen. In November 2004, at the end of their 17-month relationship, Johnsen sued Maher for US$9 million for "pain and suffering" for alleged "insulting, humiliating and degrading racial comments." Her suit stated that Maher promised to marry her and father her children, support her financially and buy a house in Beverly Hills. Johnsen's suit also alleged that she quit her job as a flight attendant and occasional model to be with him.[207] Maher's lawyers in their response, filed on November 23, 2004, in Los Angeles County Superior Court said Maher is a "confirmed bachelor, and a very public one at that" who "never promised to marry [Johnsen] or to have children with her."[208] Maher's filing stated that, after the relationship had ended, Johnsen "launched a campaign to embarrass, humiliate, and extort ridiculous sums of money from Bill Maher." The lawsuit was dismissed on May 2, 2005.[209][210] Johnsen had previously accused another former boyfriend of rape and kidnapping in 1997, and those charges were later dismissed for lack of evidence.[211][212][213]

In 2005, Maher began dating Karrine Steffans, author and former hip hop model.[214][215][216] When commentators suggested there was a pattern to his dating because both his girlfriend and former girlfriend were black, Maher said, "People say I'm into black women. Robert De Niro is into black women. I'm just into women who are real, and they happen to be black."[215] From 2009 to 2011, Maher dated former adjunct professor, science educator, and current Skeptics' Guide to the Universe co-host Cara Santa Maria.[205][217] Since 2014, Maher has dated Canadian singer Anjulie Persaud.[218] In 2012, Maher purchased a minority ownership interest in the New York Mets.[219]

Bibliography

  • True Story: A Novel, 1994 (ISBN 0-7432-4251-3)
  • Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect's Greatest Hits, 1996 (ISBN 0-679-45627-9)
  • Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect, 1997 (ISBN 0-345-41281-8)
  • When You Ride Alone You Ride with bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism, 2003 (ISBN 1-893224-90-2)
  • Keep the Statue of Liberty Closed: The New Rules, 2004 (ISBN 1-932407-47-2)
  • New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer, 2005 (ISBN 1-59486-295-8)
  • The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass, 2011 (ISBN 0-39915-841-3)

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1983 D.C. Cab Baba
1986 Ratboy Party Guest
1987 House II: The Second Story John
1988 Out of Time Maxwell Taylor TV movie
1989 Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Jim
1991 Pizza Man Elmo Bunn
1998 Primary Colors Himself
1999 EDtv Himself
2001 Tomcats Carlos
2002 John Q. Himself Cameo
2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead Himself
2005 The Aristocrats Himself Documentary
Fuck Himself Documentary
Inside Deep Throat Himself Documentary
2007 Heckler Himself Documentary
2008 Swing Vote Himself Cameo
Religulous Himself Documentary; also producer and writer
2012 The Campaign Himself Cameo
2013 Iron Man 3 Himself Cameo
Delivery Man Himself Cameo
2014 A Million Ways to Die in the West Comic Uncredited
The Interview Himself Cameo
2015 Ted 2 Himself Cameo
2018 Gringo Himself Cameo
2019 Late Night Himself Cameo

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Alice Officer Gary Conroy Episode: "Vera's Anniversary Blues"
Sara Marty Lang 13 episodes
1987 Rags to Riches Freddie Episode: "Pilot"
Hard Knocks Gower 3 episodes
Max Headroom Haskel Episode: "Whacketts"
1988 Newhart Norm Murphy Episode: "The Buck Stops Here"
1989–90 Murder, She Wrote Rick Rivers/Frank Albertson 2 episodes
1989–1992 One Night Stand Himself 2 episodes
1991 Charlie Hoover Elliot 4 episodes
1993 Married... with Children Adam Gold Episode: "You Can't Miss"
The Jackie Thomas Show Mr. Lorre Episode: "Strike"
Roseanne Photographer Episode: "It Was Twenty Years Ago Today"
1993–2002 Politically Incorrect Himself (host) 2,266 episodes; also creator, writer and executive producer
1995 Bill Maher: Stuff that Struck Me Funny Himself Stand-up special[220]
1997 Bill Maher: The Golden Goose Special Himself Stand-up special
The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "The Roast"
Dharma & Greg Himself Episode: "Mr. Montgomery Goes to Washington"
1998 V.I.P. Himself Episode: "One Wedding and Val's Funeral"
1999 Spin City Himself Episode: "Politically Incorrect"
Brother's Keeper Himself Episode: "Politically Impolite"
Snoops Himself Episode: "Higher Calling"
2000 Bill Maher: Be More Cynical Himself Stand-up special
2000 The Chris Rock Show Himself Episode: "5.8"
2002 Son of the Beach Himself Episode: "Penetration Island"
2003–present Real Time with Bill Maher Himself (host) Also creator, writer and executive producer
2003 Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home Himself Stand-up special
2004 MADtv Himself Episode: "10.6"
2005 Bill Maher: I'm Swiss Himself Stand-up special
2007 Bill Maher: The Decider Himself Stand-up special
2008 True Blood Himself Episode: "Strange Love"
2010 Bill Maher: But I'm Not Wrong Himself Stand-up special
The Sarah Silverman Program Himself Episode: "The Silverman and the Pillows"
The Boondocks Himself (voice) Episode: "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman"
2010–2017 Family Guy Himself (voice) 3 episodes
2012 Bill Maher: Crazy Stupid Politics Himself Stand-up special
The Good Wife Himself Episode: "Anatomy of a Joke"
2013 House of Cards Himself Episode: "Chapter 6"
2013–2018 Vice — 113 episodes; Executive producer
2014 Bill Maher: Live from D.C. Himself Stand-up special
2015 Blackish Himself Episode: "Elephant in the Room"
2016 Bill Maher: #WhinyLittleBitch Himself Stand-up special[221]
2018 Bill Maher: Live from Oklahoma Himself Stand-up special
2022 Bill Maher: #Adulting Himself Stand-up special

See also

References

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External links

March 17, 2024
bill, maher, other, people, named, disambiguation, william, maher, ɑːr, born, january, 1956, american, comedian, writer, producer, political, commentator, actor, television, host, known, political, talk, show, real, time, with, 2003, present, similar, late, ni. For other people named Bill Maher see Bill Maher disambiguation William Maher m ɑːr born January 20 1956 2 is an American comedian writer producer political commentator actor and television host He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher 2003 present and the similar late night show called Politically Incorrect 1993 2002 originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC In 2022 Maher started the podcast Club Random 3 Bill MaherMaher in 2010Birth nameWilliam Maher 1 Born 1956 01 20 January 20 1956 age 68 New York City U S MediumStand up television film books podcastAlma materCornell University BA Years active1979 presentGenresPolitical news satire observational comedy insult comedy black comedySubject s Mass media news media media criticism American politics American culture current events religion pop cultureWebsitebillmaher wbr comMaher is known for his political satire 4 and sociopolitical commentary He targets many topics including religion political correctness and the mass media 5 His critical views of religion were the basis for his 2008 documentary film Religulous He is a supporter of animal rights having served on the board of PETA since 1997 6 and is an advisory board member of Project Reason 7 8 Maher supports the legalization of cannabis serving on the advisory board of NORML 9 In 2005 Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central s 100 greatest stand up comedians of all time 10 He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010 11 Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for his work as executive producer for Vice in 2014 12 He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Tony Award Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Early career 2 2 Television career 2 2 1 Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher 2 2 2 Real Time with Bill Maher 2 2 2 1 Notable responses to Real Time episodes 2 3 Political commentator 2 4 Other work 3 Views 3 1 Candidates and endorsements 3 2 Religion 3 3 National security 3 4 Foreign policy 3 5 Race 3 6 Immigration 3 7 Gun rights and hunting rights 3 8 Health care 3 9 Cannabis legalization 3 10 Conspiracy theories 3 11 Gender and sexuality 3 12 2023 WGA strike 4 Influences 5 Awards and nominations 6 Personal life 7 Bibliography 8 Filmography 8 1 Film 8 2 Television 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksEarly life and educationMaher was born in New York City His father William Aloysius Maher Jr 1 was a network news editor and radio announcer and his mother Julie Maher nee Berman was a nurse 2 He was raised in his Irish American father s Roman Catholic religion Until his early teens he was unaware that his mother whose family was from Hungary was Jewish 13 14 15 16 Owing to his disagreement with the Catholic Church s doctrine about birth control Maher s father stopped taking Maher and his sister to Catholic church services when Maher was thirteen 17 Maher was raised in River Vale New Jersey and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974 2 18 He then attended Cornell University where he double majored in English and history and graduated in 1978 19 Maher has said Selling pot allowed me to get through college and make enough money to start off in comedy 18 CareerEarly career Maher began his career as a comedian and actor He was host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979 Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson s and David Letterman s shows in 1982 20 He made limited television appearances including on Sara 1985 21 Max Headroom 1987 22 Murder She Wrote 1989 1990 21 and Charlie Hoover 1991 His feature film debut was in D C Cab 1983 21 He later appeared in Ratboy 1986 21 House II The Second Story 1987 21 Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death 1988 21 Newhart 1988 hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS 1990 and Pizza Man 1991 21 Television career Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher Main article Politically Incorrect nbsp Seth MacFarlane speaking at a ceremony for Maher to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2010Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher a late night political talk show that ran on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and on ABC from 1997 to 2002 The show regularly began with a topical monologue by Maher preceding the introduction of four guests usually a diverse group of individuals such as show business popular culture political pundits political consultants authors and occasionally news figures The group would discuss topical issues selected by Maher who also participated in the discussions 23 Jerry Seinfeld a regular guest on the show stated that Politically Incorrect reminded him of talk shows from the 1950s and 60s when guests interacted with each other as much as with the host 23 Politically Incorrect won an array of awards including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction two CableACE awards for Best Talk Show Series and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show Maher earned numerous award nominations for his producing writing and hosting of Politically Incorrect including ten Emmy nominations two TV Guide nominations and two Writers Guild nominations ABC decided against renewing Maher s contract for Politically Incorrect in 2002 after he made a controversial on air remark six days after the September 11 attacks 24 He agreed with his guest conservative pundit Dinesh D Souza that the 9 11 terrorists did not act in a cowardly manner in rebuttal to President Bush s statement calling them cowards Maher said We have been the cowards Lobbing cruise missiles from 2 000 miles away That s cowardly Staying in the airplane when it hits the building Say what you want about it Not cowardly You re right Maher later clarified that his comment was not anti military in any way whatsoever referencing his well documented longstanding support for the American military 25 26 After receiving complaints FedEx and Sears pulled their advertisements from the show costing the show significant revenue 27 28 Maher s remarks after 9 11 were not the first time he had sparked controversy on Politically Incorrect In the same year he expressed his deep regrets and apologized after being widely criticized for comparing his dogs to mentally disabled children 29 The show was canceled on June 16 2002 and the Sinclair Broadcast Group had dropped the show from its ABC affiliated stations months prior On June 22 2002 just six days after the cancellation of Politically Incorrect Maher received the Los Angeles Press Club president s award for championing free speech 28 Maher was on the board of judges for the 2002 PEN Newman s Own First Amendment Award which included writer Vanessa Leggett imprisoned for 168 days for protecting sources and research notes 30 Real Time with Bill Maher Main article Real Time with Bill Maher In 2003 Maher became the host co producer and co writer of Real Time with Bill Maher a weekly hour long political comedy talk show on the cable television network HBO In 2016 HBO renewed Real Time through 2018 for its 15th and 16th seasons 31 During an interview Maher told Terry Gross on NPR s Fresh Air that he much prefers having serious and well informed guests on his program as opposed to the random celebrities that fleshed out his roundtable discussions on Politically Incorrect 32 As with his previous show Politically Incorrect Maher begins Real Time with a comic opening monologue based upon current events and other topical issues He proceeds to a one on one interview with a guest either in studio or via satellite Following the interview Maher sits with two or three panelists usually consisting of pundits authors activists actors politicians and journalists for a discussion of the week s events Real Time has earned widespread praise It has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer s Guild awards In 2007 Maher and his co producers were awarded the Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America 33 Maher holds the record for the most Emmy nominations without a win having been nominated on 22 occasions and not winning once Eleven of the nominations were for Politically Incorrect while nine were for Real Time The other two were nominations for two of his HBO comedy specials I m Swiss and Bill Maher The Decider 34 Notable responses to Real Time episodes This section may lend undue weight to certain ideas incidents or controversies Please help improve it by rewriting it in a balanced fashion that contextualizes different points of view July 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message In late May 2005 Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus sent a letter to Time Warner s board of directors requesting Real Time be canceled after remarks Maher made after noting the military had missed its recruiting goals by 42 percent Bachus said he felt the comments were demeaning to the military and treasonous Maher stated his highest regard and support for the troops and asked why the congressman criticized him instead of doing something about the recruitment problem 35 On September 17 2010 Maher aired a clip of Delaware Republican Senatorial candidate Christine O Donnell from the October 29 1999 episode of his old show Politically Incorrect on his current show Real Time with Bill Maher 36 37 where she mentioned that she had dabbled in witchcraft This was one of the most notable of numerous controversial statements by O Donnell that made her the most covered candidate in the 2010 mid term election cycle 38 39 In February 2017 Maher interviewed Milo Yiannopoulos on Real Time regarding prior comments in which Yiannopolous seemed to express sympathy toward perpetrators of child sexual abuse Although some fans and pundits initially criticized Maher for platforming the controversial pundit ultimately the appearance brought more publicity to the comments and harmed Yiannopolous s career In the days following the interview Yiannopoulos had his invitation to speak before the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference rescinded as well as a book deal with Simon amp Schuster cancelled Yiannopoulos subsequently resigned as an editor at Breitbart News When asked whether Yiannopoulos s interview on his show was among the causes of his resignation Maher concurred saying As I say sunlight is the best disinfectant You re welcome 40 In 2019 during a New Rules segment of Real Time with Bill Maher Maher stated that he questioned Stan Lee s legacy that comic books are not literature and that adult fans of comic books need to grow up 41 42 43 Political commentator Maher is a frequent commentator on various cable news networks including CNN MSNBC Fox News and HLN Maher has regularly appeared on CNN s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer 44 and has also been a frequent guest on MSNBC s Hardball with Chris Matthews 45 The Rachel Maddow Show 46 and Countdown with Keith Olbermann 47 Maher has also appeared as a guest on HLN s The Joy Behar Show 48 He wrote the foreword for the 2002 book Spin This All the Ways We Don t Tell the Truth by show host Bill Press 49 Maher hosted the January 13 2006 edition of Larry King Live on which he was a frequent guest Maher appeared as a special guest on the June 29 2010 edition of the show on which CNN anchor Larry King announced his retirement 50 Maher co emceed the final show of Larry King Live on December 16 2010 with Ryan Seacrest 51 Other work In 2004 Maher appeared on stage as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of Hollywood Hell House a spoof of Christian run hell houses The show was a faithful reproduction of an evangelistic scare experience written by Reverend Keenan Roberts to terrify teenagers into declaring themselves Christians Our faith is that putting this up as itself it will hoist itself on its own petard that it s comical just as it is explained producer Maggie Rowe The show featured a rotating cast of over 160 celebrities including Andy Richter Jesus Richard Belzer Dave Thomas Traci Lords Craig Bierko Sarah Silverman and Julia Sweeney 52 Maher and director Larry Charles teamed up to make the movie Religulous described by trade publication Variety as a documentary that spoofs religious extremism across the world It was released on October 3 2008 53 54 In 2013 Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice 55 56 Also in 2013 Maher appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and offered to pay 5 million to a charity if Donald Trump would produce his birth certificate to prove that Trump s mother had not mated with an orangutan Maher said this in response to Trump having previously challenged President Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate and having offered 5 million payable to a charity of Obama s choice if Obama would produce his college applications transcripts and passport records 57 58 In response to Maher s offer Trump produced his birth certificate and then Trump launched a lawsuit after Maher was not forthcoming claiming that Maher s 5 million offer was legally binding I don t think he was joking Trump said He said it with venom 57 Trump withdrew his lawsuit against the comedian after eight weeks 59 On May 13 2016 Maher and his friend Michael Moore announced on YouTube that they are going to make a movie called The Kings of Atheism 60 On March 21 2022 Maher launched a podcast titled Club Random a series hosting one on one interviews with guests recorded in his bar at home where he discusses everything except politics 3 Guest have included Quentin Tarantino Jimmy Kimmel Bella Thorne Judd Apatow Mike Tyson Killer Mike and William Shatner 61 In February 2024 Maher revealed that he decided not to release a two hour interview with Kanye West recorded for Club Random because of the rapper s recent antisemitic comments 62 Views nbsp Maher and Ingrid Newkirk founder of PETA Maher is on the board of directors of the animal rights group Maher often eschews political labels referring to himself as practical although he has generally held moderately liberal views over the years 63 Maher stands against political correctness In his words The difference is that liberals protect people and P C people protect feelings 64 In the past he has also described himself as a libertarian and has also referred to himself as a progressive as a sane person 65 66 In a 2012 panel discussion with Salman Rushdie Maher counted himself Rushdie and others such as Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris as 9 11 liberals noting that they differentiate themselves from many mainstream liberals in saying that not all religions are alike and that they are not bigoted in criticizing a particular religion 67 He said in a later interview It s ridiculous to label criticism of a religion as a phobia of a religion I m going to criticize any person or group that violates liberal principles 64 Maher favors the ending of corporate welfare and federal funding of non profits he also favors the legalization of gambling prostitution and cannabis 68 69 Maher also supports the death penalty 70 Maher describes himself as an environmentalist and he has spoken in favor of the Kyoto treaty on global warming on his show Real Time He often criticizes industry figures involved in environmental pollution 71 He is a board member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 7 The comedian has noted the paradox of people claiming they distrusted elite politicians while at the same time wanting elite doctors to treat them and elite lawyers to represent them in court 72 nbsp Maher with Senator Mark Warner D Virginia Candidates and endorsements Despite being a member of the Democratic Party Maher has voted for Bob Dole and Ralph Nader 73 Maher also considers himself to be at odds with both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party 73 In the 2008 U S presidential election Maher announced his support for U S Senator Barack Obama D IL 74 Although Maher welcomed Obama s electoral victory he soon became critical of the new president for not acting more boldly on health care reform and other progressive issues 75 On February 23 2012 after his Crazy Stupid Politics special streamed on Yahoo Screen Maher announced that he was contributing 1 million to Priorities USA the Obama SuperPAC 76 77 In the lead up to the 2014 midterm elections Maher conducted a Flip a District contest on his HBO show His audience was asked to select one terrible entrenched member of Congress in a close election race the loserest loser of all to remove from office Maher aimed to help oust that representative by shining a national spotlight on the politician during segments of his show and stand up comedy appearances in that member s district during the Fall election 78 79 Maher ultimately selected Republican Representative John Kline from Minnesota s 2nd congressional district but he failed to prevent him from winning against his Democratic Farmer Labor Party opponent Mike Obermueller 80 In the 2016 U S presidential election Maher initially endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders on February 5 2016 Maher later announced his support for Hillary Clinton after Clinton won the nomination from the Democratic Party primary elections in June 2016 81 In October 2016 Maher criticized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing leaks from the DNC s emails saying I really feel like he s lost his way a little and he hates Hillary 82 On March 31 2017 following her defeat Maher responded on air to suggestions Clinton was ready to end her low profile and speak out Hillary stay in the woods Okay You had your shot You fucked it up You re Bill Buckner We had the World Series and you let the grounder go through your legs Let someone else have the chance 83 In August 2019 Maher said an economic recession would be worth it if Donald Trump does not get re elected in 2020 He said We have survived many recessions We can t survive another Donald Trump term 84 Over the course of 20 different editions of Real Time with Bill Maher broadcast between April 13 2018 and August 7 2020 85 and in several press interviews 86 Maher predicted that Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election dedicating a New Rules end segment to the subject on January 25 2020 87 Maher highlighted Trump s own public references to Maher s assertions that Trump was not going to leave and quoted Trump s March 14 2019 assertion that I have the support of the police the military the bikers for Trump and the tough people 88 citing this as evidence that Trump would seek to remain in office by force Maher predicted there would be violence by armed Trump supporters attempting to keep Trump in power and criticized Democratic Party politicians for not taking the threat seriously So my question to all Democratic candidates is what s the plan If you win and the next day he claims he s voiding the election because of irregularities he s hearing about what do you do What do you do when the crowd that was in Virginia this week 22 000 strong marches on Washington This is a scary moment And when I ve asked Democrats What do we do if he doesn t go their answer is always some variation of We have to win big First of all NO No we don t have to win by a landslide Jesus fucking Democrats I am so sick of Democrats volunteering to play by two different sets of rules That s the new paradigm Republicans can win by one vote but we re not legitimate unless it s a landslide Fuck And two do you really think it would matter if it was That they would suddenly get rational about math and facts They believe Hillary ran a pedophile ring out of a pizza parlor Maher later said in an August 15 2020 interview with Vanity Fair that we ve baked it into the cake that he s not going to leave 89 In the September 25 2020 edition of Real Time Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story by Michael Crowley headlined Trump Won t Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power which ran on page 15 of the print edition of the paper Maher asserted that I got no help from the New York Times Washington Post or CNN adding that the media should have amplified the severity of Trump s threats that he would refuse to concede or commit to a peaceful transition of power 90 In January 2022 Maher declined to run in the 2024 United States presidential election following speculation by Dana Perino that he may be called on to do so 91 Religion See also Religulous nbsp Protesters outside Ryerson University awaiting the arrival of Bill Maher on September 6 2008Maher is highly critical of all religion and views it as highly destructive He has been described or self identified variously as an agnostic atheist and apatheist while objecting to having his views defined by a single label In his 2008 feature film Religulous he refers to himself as agnostic 92 He has rejected being grouped with explicit atheists saying in 2002 I m not an atheist There s a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn t believe in religion Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don t need but I m not an atheist no 93 Maher has occasionally referred to himself as an apatheist saying in 2011 I don t know what happens when you die and I don t care When discussing his apatheism and his views on the existence of God he said on a scale from 1 to 7 7 being absolutely certain there is no god he was only at 6 9 like Richard Dawkins because we just don t know but we just don t think about it He added There s atheist and there s agnostic and I m okay with us not splitting the difference on those if you are just not a super religious person you are on my team 94 Several months later on a 2012 episode of his HBO show Maher declared that idiots must stop claiming that atheism is a religion believe it or not I don t really enjoy talking about religion all the time In fact not only is atheism not a religion it s not even my hobby and that s the best thing about being an atheist It requires so little of your time 95 He has reiterated his stance during other interviews rejecting both the certitude of the existence as well as the certitude of nonexistence of deities concluding I m saying that doubt is the only appropriate response for human beings 96 While critical of all organized religions saying they re all stupid and dangerous Maher says all religions are not alike and has drawn comparisons and contrasts between them 67 97 He has said By any standard Mormonism is more ridiculous than any other religion 98 He has referred to tenets of Judaism as insane and funny and has said Buddhism includes crazy whack shit that doesn t exist that somebody made up like reincarnation 99 He has described Christianity and Islam as more warlike and has asserted that like historic Christianity present day Islam needs to undergo its own reformation and enlightenment 100 In defense of his criticism of Islam Sharia law and Muslim culture Maher says he believes in the values that Western people believe in which a lot of the Muslim world does not Like separation of church and state Like equality of the sexes Like respect for minorities free elections free speech freedom to gather These things are not just different from cultures that don t have them It s better I would like to keep those values here 101 Citing studies and poll results by Pew Research Center the World Economic Forum and others Maher says the human rights violations and illiberal ideas found in Islam are not extremist views held by a small minority but are supported by a majority of citizens in Muslim countries Maher has criticized liberals as hypocritical for defending these core liberal values and ideals only at home while not condemning the oppression of these values and groups in Muslim culture 100 102 Regarding the more recent publicity generated by his stance in the ongoing debate Maher says he thinks people are finally paying closer attention to a conversation that they need to have I m just shining a light on the reality of the situation I don t even understand why this is so controversial 100 Maher received the 2009 Richard Dawkins Award from Atheist Alliance International 103 He was an advisory board member of author Sam Harris s Project Reason a foundation that promotes scientific knowledge and secular values within society 104 National security On June 7 2013 Maher expressed on his show limited support for the NSA s PRISM intelligence data collection from private phone calls and the Internet saying that the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons was the tipping point for him While he stated that he trusted the Obama administration to employ the program responsibly he described the NSA s access to private data as a slippery slope and worried about whether other politicians would be as responsible 105 Since the 9 11 attacks he has endorsed certain uses of profiling at airports saying that Places like Israel where they have faced terrorism for a long time of course understand that profiling is part of all detective work It s part of all police work If they stop calling it profiling and start calling it high intelligence screening or something people would go it s about time 106 Maher opposed Trump s Executive Order 13769 an order which banned entry into the US of citizens from five majority Muslim countries and has hosted multiple guests including Sam Harris and Jim Jefferies on his show who have also opposed the order 107 108 In 2022 Maher criticized the Biden administration s Disinformation Governance Board and agreed with the comparison that the board was similar to the Ministry of truth from George Orwell s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty Four 109 110 Foreign policy Maher favors having a strong military 111 but has said he is disenchanted with the size of the American military 112 and defense spending 113 In 2015 Maher criticized Barack Obama s visit to Saudi Arabia a close U S ally saying Stop respecting their medieval bullshit under the guise of It s their culture 114 Maher opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and has summarized his opinion by saying that the United States and the world have had to pay too high a price for the war 115 On the Israeli Palestinian conflict Maher says he is more on the side of the Israelis and does not consider both sides equally guilty He acknowledges that Palestinians do have gripes and he has been critical of U S financial aid to Israel saying they don t need our money they can handle it themselves Maher also notes that most Israelis would prefer a two state solution and oppose the hard line stance of their Israeli government which he describes as having been taken over by their version of the Tea Party However Maher has defended Israel s military actions against Palestinian militants amid criticism over civilian deaths and disproportionate casualty count between Israelis and Palestinians during the 2014 Gaza war He argues that Israel is still showing restraint and he finds it ironic that the same people who were incredulous over how the Jews in World War II were led to their slaughter cannot understand why they are defending themselves now 99 116 Maher faced online backlash for tweeting that Dealing w Hamas is like dealing w a crazy woman who s trying to kill u u can only hold her wrists so long before you have to slap her at the start of the war 117 In August 2019 Maher denounced the anti Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions saying It s predicated on this notion I think it s very shallow thinking that the Jews in Israel are mostly white and Palestinians are mostly brown so they must be innocent and correct and the Jews must be wrong 118 He responded to Rep Rashida Tlaib s call to boycott his talk show Some people have one move only boycott Cancel Make go away But here s the thing the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the BDS movement including 93 of Dems Does Tlaib want to boycott 93 of her own party 119 Condemning the October 7th attacks by Hamas militants on Israel Maher spoke about it as Israel s 9 11 and took serious issue with people who seemed to applaud these attacks however he cautioned Israel not to lose the moral high ground in its retaliatory actions 120 Maher expressed disappointment with former President Barack Obama over his comments on the 2023 Israel Hamas war 121 saying that there is a big difference between collateral damage and what Hamas did 122 In April 2020 Maher criticized those who equated using the term Wuhan virus with racism Stating that Scientists have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time Zika is from the Zika Forest Ebola from the Ebola River hantavirus the Hantan River There s the West Nile virus and Guinea worm and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and of course the Spanish flu He added This has nothing to do with Asian Americans and it has everything to do with China 123 In March 2021 Maher criticized China s treatment of Uyghur minority in Xinjiang He said the United States has lost to China in the battle for the 21st century According to Maher China is dominating the world while the United States is wasting time in a never ending woke competition 124 Race In June 2017 Maher came under criticism for saying saying a off the cuff joke I m a house nigger in response to guest Senator Ben Sasse offering Maher to work on the fields in his home state on Real Time This led to calls being made by people to HBO to fire him 125 Following the episode HBO sent a statement to media outlets calling Maher s remarks inexcusable and tasteless and said the cable network will remove that segment from future airings of the show 126 Maher also issued a statement apologizing for the remarks saying in part I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry 126 Maher apologized on his show and had a discussion with Michael Eric Dyson Ice Cube and Symone Sanders about the controversy 127 In 2021 Maher opposed the NFL s decision to play the Black national anthem before games considering it a form of segregation 128 129 Instead he argued for one national anthem and rejected separate ceremonies and dorms based on race which drew some criticism 130 In 2022 Maher criticized the Democratic Party for checking boxes in regards to candidates of different identity groups including race He stated that Democrats prioritize diversity over merit 131 Maher has also spoken out against critical race theory but supports teaching the history of racism 132 133 134 Immigration In November 2015 Maher expressed opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees Maher argued that they have different values which are at odds with American values due to some refugees may be coming from places which are governed by Sharia law or want to be Maher cited cases in the UK where Muslim immigrants had carried out female genital mutilation and honor killings 135 136 137 In 2021 after the withdrawal of U S troops from Afghanistan Maher urged America to take in Afghan refugees 138 Maher has criticized Donald Trump s opposition to immigration including his proposed border wall and accused him of hypocrisy having himself married two immigrants 139 140 Maher has also accused Republicans of hypocrisy for opposing immigration and praising their immigrant parents saying You can t spend the first half of a debate bitching about how immigrants are ruining the country and the second half on the uplifting stories of your immigrant parents 141 Maher has criticized Democrats approach to immigration and has praised Canada s system saying Canada is much more to the right on immigration You have to have a skill That s mostly what it s based on Ours is mostly based on family 142 Gun rights and hunting rights Maher endorsed a 2014 Maine referendum to ban the use of bait traps and dogs to hunt bears in Maine He specifically criticized the use of bait referring to its use as nothing but an execution 143 Maher is a gun owner and explained in his February 12 2013 appearance on the late night TV talk show Conan that he owns guns for personal home protection However he does not identify himself as a proud gun owner commenting that being a proud gun owner is akin to saying I m a proud remote control owner Maher has stated that statistics showing that gun owners are more likely to harm a member of their household are caused by irresponsible gun owners and believes that tragedies such as school shootings will not lead to a fundamental change in gun laws because both Democrats and Republicans favor guns 144 Maher has also questioned the need to own large arsenals of guns 145 He believes the Second Amendment is bullshit 146 147 and said that bipartisan background check legislation proposed by Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin was so marginal In 2022 Maher blamed mass shooting in part due to Hollywood romanticization of gun violence in movies 148 149 However Maher has said that despite him not liking guns he is glad that they exist saying it levels the playing field 150 151 Health care Maher supports the establishment of a Medicare for All universal single payer health care system and has consistently 152 agreed with the proposal since 2011 153 Maher has stated that the American Medical Association is a powerful lobbying group and was one of the primary reasons why the United States had failed to enact health care reform in the decades prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act 154 155 On the topic of getting the Affordable Care Act passed in 2009 Maher stated that Obama should forget about trying to get 60 votes for it because he only needs 51 Forget getting the sixty votes or sixty percent sixty percent of people don t believe in evolution in this country he just needs to drag them to it like I said they re stupid get health care done with or without them 156 On Fox News in a televised debate with Bill O Reilly Maher said that if Jesus was in charge of the country we d probably have health care for everybody 157 Maher has expressed the view that a lot of illness was the result of poor diet and lack of exercise and that medicine was often not the most appropriate way of addressing illness In an episode of his show about the 2008 presidential candidates health plans Maher stated that poor nutrition was a primary cause of illness and that the answer isn t another pill 158 He also has said If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do then you re already on drugs 159 He has expressed his distaste for the pharmaceutical and health care industries in general arguing that they made their money out of treating people who are made sick by consuming unhealthy food that corporations push on the public Maher maintains that mass consumption of high fructose corn syrup is a contributor to the rise in frequency of obesity in the United States 160 In a discussion with Michael Moore about the film Sicko Maher said The human body is pretty amazing it doesn t get sick usually for no reason I mean there s some genetic stuff that can get to you but basically people are sick in this country because they re poisoned The environment is a poisoning factor but also we gotta say they poison themselves They eat shit People eat shit and that s to my way of thinking about 90 percent of why people are sick is because they eat shit 161 Tara Parker Pope and former Senator R TN Bill Frist a physician have called Maher s criticism of the H1N1 flu vaccinations unscientific 162 Infectious diseases expert Paul Offit wrote that misinformation about vaccines from celebrities like Maher has put children at unnecessary risk 163 Surgical Oncologist David Gorski criticized Maher s claims about vaccines several times on ScienceBlogs and deemed it inappropriate that Maher received the Richard Dawkins Award 164 Skeptics including magician and popular science writer Martin Gardner 165 neurologist Steven Novella 166 and magician Jamy Ian Swiss have also strongly rebuked Maher characterizing him as anti science uninformed and potentially endangering the health of fans who take his non medical advice 167 Maher responded to the criticism saying What I ve read about what they think I m saying is not what I ve said I m not a germ theory denier I believe vaccinations can work Polio is a good example Do I think in certain situations that inoculating Third World children against malaria or diphtheria or whatever is right Of course In a situation like that the benefits outweigh costs But to me living in Los Angeles To get a flu shot No 168 In 2019 Gorski again criticized Maher for his HBO interview with the doctor Jay Gordon and Maher s claims about vaccines in particular the influenza vaccine including the speculation about a link between vaccines and autism which is debunked according to consensus science 169 In January 2021 Maher promoted the COVID 19 lab leak theory 170 On April 16 2021 Maher called media coverage of the COVID 19 pandemic panic porn and added that When all of our sources for medical information have an agenda to spin us yeah you wind up with a badly misinformed population including on the left 171 Cannabis legalization Maher who has a California medical marijuana card openly and publicly uses cannabis and has been a visible supporter of cannabis law reform Maher is a member of the advisory boards for both the NORML and Marijuana Policy Project organizations that support regulated legalization of cannabis 68 69 He sold cannabis while in college at Cornell and credits it for making his college and the beginning of his career as a comic possible 172 In 2015 Maher called on then President Barack Obama to pardon people incarcerated for marijuana offenses and later praised President Joe Biden for pardoning citizens convicted of marijuana offenses 173 174 He has been called one of the brightest torches for sensible marijuana policy and a contemporary cannabis statesman 175 Conspiracy theories Maher has been a critic of 9 11 conspiracy theories On October 19 2007 Maher confronted several 9 11 truthers and had them ejected from his show audience after they interrupted the live show numerous times by calling out from the audience The incident drew significant media attention and praise from Fox News talk show host and frequent critic John Gibson 176 Maher has spoken out against QAnon and the conspiracy theories they have promoted 177 Maher has criticized the decision to ban conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from Twitter saying I don t like Alex Jones but Alex Jones gets to speak Everybody gets to speak 178 179 Gender and sexuality Maher has been critical of the MeToo movement describing it in February 2018 as McCarthyism 180 181 He has supported Chris Matthews against allegations of sexual harassment in 2020 182 He has also downplayed the sexual harassment allegations against former senator Al Franken including rejecting the idea that Franken was a sexual predator and has suggested that the allegations against Franken were political 183 184 Maher supports same sex marriage 185 He has referred to arguments against same sex marriage as bankrupt 186 In May 2022 on more people are identifying as LGBT Maher said Yes part of the rise in LGBT numbers is from people feeling free enough to tell it to a pollster and that s all good but some of it is because it s trendy 187 Maher also referred to puberty blockers and other transgender health care for trans youth as literally experimenting on children 188 GLAAD criticized Maher for these statements and referred to him as transphobic citing articles from organizations such as the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics that state gender affirming care is medically appropriate 189 190 Maher has also criticized the Democratic Party s approach to sex education on multiple occasions 191 192 193 In March 2022 Maher rebuked liberals for their opposition to the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act and defended Republicans for pushing the bill 191 In 2023 he criticized the Biden administration for its support for preferred gender pronouns and discussing sexuality within schools 192 193 2023 WGA strike Maher criticized the 2023 WGA strike on his Club Random podcast Speaking to comedian Jim Gaffigan in September 2023 has stated they kind of believe that you re owed a living as a writer and you re not He went on to say that They re asking for a lot of things that are like kooky 194 In an interview with TMZ Maher stated he supported the strike and added that the writers have legitimate gripes with the studios However Maher clarified his problems with the strike noting there are some things that the writers are demanding I don t agree with In particular Maher criticized the WGA proposal of having a mandate to have a particular set number of writers on each show He stated They want to micromanage the creative process in a way that I think is antithetical to anybody that is an artist They want to tell people how many people what kind of people you can have working on your show writing on your show Maher stated his wish to have Governor Gavin Newsom help end the strike 195 On September 13 2023 Maher released a statement on Twitter announcing his plans to restart a version of his HBO show He wrote in part Real Time is coming back It has been five months and it is time to bring people back to work The writers have important issues that I sympathize with and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction but they are not the only people with issues problems and concerns I will honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue desk piece New Rules or editorial 196 197 Bill Maher Maher s announcement as well as the continuation of The Drew Barrymore Show and The View has led to vocal protests The Writers Guild of America released a statement describing Maher s decision as disappointing adding It is difficult to imagine how Real Time with Bill Maher can go forward without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place WGA will be picketing this show 198 Early the next week Maher said he would wait a few days to see what the next round of negotiations might produce 199 InfluencesMaher has said his influences include Lenny Bruce Woody Allen Steve Allen Johnny Carson Robert Klein and George Carlin 200 201 Comedians who have said they were influenced by Maher include Chris Rock 202 and Seth MacFarlane citation needed Awards and nominationsMain article List of awards and nominations received by Bill Maher Maher has received 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning for Outstanding Informational Series or Special for Vice in 2015 He also received two Grammy Award nominations and various Producers Guild of America Award and Writers Guild of America Award nominations Maher was honored by High Times as Top Pot Comic in 2006 and Real Time won a Stony Award in 2006 for Best Cable News Show High Times later designated him as Stoner of the Year 203 nbsp Maher next to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2010Personal life nbsp Coco JohnsenMaher has never married 204 205 Regarding marriage Maher is quoted on his website as saying I m the last of my guy friends to have never gotten married and their wives they don t want them playing with me I m like the escaped slave I bring news of freedom 206 In 2003 he began dating former Playboy Cyber Girl Coco Johnsen In November 2004 at the end of their 17 month relationship Johnsen sued Maher for US 9 million for pain and suffering for alleged insulting humiliating and degrading racial comments Her suit stated that Maher promised to marry her and father her children support her financially and buy a house in Beverly Hills Johnsen s suit also alleged that she quit her job as a flight attendant and occasional model to be with him 207 Maher s lawyers in their response filed on November 23 2004 in Los Angeles County Superior Court said Maher is a confirmed bachelor and a very public one at that who never promised to marry Johnsen or to have children with her 208 Maher s filing stated that after the relationship had ended Johnsen launched a campaign to embarrass humiliate and extort ridiculous sums of money from Bill Maher The lawsuit was dismissed on May 2 2005 209 210 Johnsen had previously accused another former boyfriend of rape and kidnapping in 1997 and those charges were later dismissed for lack of evidence 211 212 213 In 2005 Maher began dating Karrine Steffans author and former hip hop model 214 215 216 When commentators suggested there was a pattern to his dating because both his girlfriend and former girlfriend were black Maher said People say I m into black women Robert De Niro is into black women I m just into women who are real and they happen to be black 215 From 2009 to 2011 Maher dated former adjunct professor science educator and current Skeptics Guide to the Universe co host Cara Santa Maria 205 217 Since 2014 Maher has dated Canadian singer Anjulie Persaud 218 In 2012 Maher purchased a minority ownership interest in the New York Mets 219 BibliographyTrue Story A Novel 1994 ISBN 0 7432 4251 3 Does Anybody Have a Problem with That Politically Incorrect s Greatest Hits 1996 ISBN 0 679 45627 9 Does Anybody Have a Problem with That The Best of Politically Incorrect 1997 ISBN 0 345 41281 8 When You Ride Alone You Ride with bin Laden What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism 2003 ISBN 1 893224 90 2 Keep the Statue of Liberty Closed The New Rules 2004 ISBN 1 932407 47 2 New Rules Polite Musings from a Timid Observer 2005 ISBN 1 59486 295 8 The New New Rules A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass 2011 ISBN 0 39915 841 3 FilmographyFilm Year Title Role Notes1983 D C Cab Baba1986 Ratboy Party Guest1987 House II The Second Story John1988 Out of Time Maxwell Taylor TV movie1989 Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Jim1991 Pizza Man Elmo Bunn1998 Primary Colors Himself1999 EDtv Himself2001 Tomcats Carlos2002 John Q Himself Cameo2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead Himself2005 The Aristocrats Himself DocumentaryFuck Himself DocumentaryInside Deep Throat Himself Documentary2007 Heckler Himself Documentary2008 Swing Vote Himself CameoReligulous Himself Documentary also producer and writer2012 The Campaign Himself Cameo2013 Iron Man 3 Himself CameoDelivery Man Himself Cameo2014 A Million Ways to Die in the West Comic UncreditedThe Interview Himself Cameo2015 Ted 2 Himself Cameo2018 Gringo Himself Cameo2019 Late Night Himself CameoTelevision Year Title Role Notes1985 Alice Officer Gary Conroy Episode Vera s Anniversary Blues Sara Marty Lang 13 episodes1987 Rags to Riches Freddie Episode Pilot Hard Knocks Gower 3 episodesMax Headroom Haskel Episode Whacketts 1988 Newhart Norm Murphy Episode The Buck Stops Here 1989 90 Murder She Wrote Rick Rivers Frank Albertson 2 episodes1989 1992 One Night Stand Himself 2 episodes1991 Charlie Hoover Elliot 4 episodes1993 Married with Children Adam Gold Episode You Can t Miss The Jackie Thomas Show Mr Lorre Episode Strike Roseanne Photographer Episode It Was Twenty Years Ago Today 1993 2002 Politically Incorrect Himself host 2 266 episodes also creator writer and executive producer1995 Bill Maher Stuff that Struck Me Funny Himself Stand up special 220 1997 Bill Maher The Golden Goose Special Himself Stand up specialThe Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode The Roast Dharma amp Greg Himself Episode Mr Montgomery Goes to Washington 1998 V I P Himself Episode One Wedding and Val s Funeral 1999 Spin City Himself Episode Politically Incorrect Brother s Keeper Himself Episode Politically Impolite Snoops Himself Episode Higher Calling 2000 Bill Maher Be More Cynical Himself Stand up special2000 The Chris Rock Show Himself Episode 5 8 2002 Son of the Beach Himself Episode Penetration Island 2003 present Real Time with Bill Maher Himself host Also creator writer and executive producer2003 Bill Maher Victory Begins at Home Himself Stand up special2004 MADtv Himself Episode 10 6 2005 Bill Maher I m Swiss Himself Stand up special2007 Bill Maher The Decider Himself Stand up special2008 True Blood Himself Episode Strange Love 2010 Bill Maher But I m Not Wrong Himself Stand up specialThe Sarah Silverman Program Himself Episode The Silverman and the Pillows The Boondocks Himself voice Episode It s a Black President Huey Freeman 2010 2017 Family Guy Himself voice 3 episodes2012 Bill Maher Crazy Stupid Politics Himself Stand up specialThe Good Wife Himself Episode Anatomy of a Joke 2013 House of Cards Himself Episode Chapter 6 2013 2018 Vice 113 episodes Executive producer2014 Bill Maher Live from D C Himself Stand up special2015 Blackish Himself Episode Elephant in the Room 2016 Bill Maher WhinyLittleBitch Himself Stand up special 221 2018 Bill Maher Live from Oklahoma Himself Stand up special2022 Bill Maher Adulting Himself Stand up specialSee alsoList of animal rights advocatesReferences a b Stated on Finding Your Roots January 12 2016 PBS on a series that lists Jr and Sr distinctions Bill Maher s birth name was listed simply as William Maher while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr and his paternal grandfather was William Aloysius Maher Sr a b c Bill Maher Biography Film Reference Archived from the original on January 8 2008 Retrieved January 17 2008 a b White Peter March 9 2022 Bill Maher Moves Into Podcasting With Club Random Series Talks Everything But Politics Deadline Hollywood Retrieved June 25 2022 True Cynthia 2002 American Scream The Bill Hicks Story HarperCollins p 87 ISBN 978 0 38080 377 4 Political Satirist Bill Maher s New Rules NPR Archived from the original on February 19 2011 Retrieved January 23 2011 Bill Maher 25 Things You Don t Know About Me US Weekly January 23 2015 a b Interview with Larry King 9 28 03 CNN Larry I m a PETA board member The Reason Project Project Reason org 2011 Advisory Board norml org Comedy Central s Top 100 Archived from the original on April 4 2005 Retrieved April 4 2005 Bill Maher gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star USA Today September 14 2010 Bill Maher Emmy Awards Nominations and Wins Retrieved July 26 2020 Bill Maher Dead Frog Retrieved April 10 2013 Part Hungarian part Irish Interview With Bill Maher CNN May 24 2002 Retrieved January 17 2008 My mother is Jewish But I never even knew I was half Jewish until I was a teen ager Carlin McCall Kelly November December 2008 The Real Bill Irish America magazine Archived from the original on March 2 2010 Retrieved April 23 2010 So the fact that I m half Irish and half Jewish they both contributed to a sense of humor Morgan Piers July 2011 Bill Maher explains his apatheism apathetic atheism CNN Archived from the original on March 30 2016 Retrieved July 12 2011 and I was raised Catholic I was never Jewish Getting Blasphemous in the Presence of Bill Maher Media www diamondbackonline com Archived from the original on December 21 2008 Retrieved October 18 2010 a b Bill Maher How did I get here Bloomberg BusinessWeek September 5 2013 Archived from the original on September 14 2013 Retrieved November 7 2014 Entertainment Ivy League Celebrities Comcast net Archived from the original on August 8 2014 Retrieved November 7 2011 Bill Maher Hollywood Star Walk Los Angeles Times Patrick Kevin Day September 13 2010 a b c d e f g Bill Maher Filmography The New York Times 2015 Archived from the original on June 20 2015 Science Fiction Horror amp Fantasy Film and Television Credits Television shows Harris M Lentz McFarland Publishing 2001 Pg 1944 a b Carter Bill February 27 1994 TELEVISION Lots of Political Humor and No Morton Kondracke The New York Times Retrieved August 9 2010 The Big Story Politically Incorrect Archived from the original on July 13 2007 Retrieved June 19 2007 Goldberg Danny 2002 It s a Free Country Personal Freedom in America After September 11 RDV Books p 77 ISBN 0 9719206 0 5 Garofoli Joe Talk host s towering rant S F not worth saving San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on November 2 2007 Retrieved October 9 2007 Navasky Victor Profiles in Cowardice The Nation Archived from the original on December 19 2008 Retrieved October 9 2007 a b Sayre Shay King Cynthia 2010 Entertainment and Society Influences Impacts and Innovations 2 ed Taylor amp Francis ISBN 9780203882931 Retrieved April 19 2013 TV Host s Words Draw Criticism and Apology The New York Times January 18 2001 Retrieved April 1 2010 Siems Larry April 11 2002 Vanessa Leggett to receive 2002 PEN Newman s Own First Amendment Award Pen American Center accessed September 30 2018 Prudom Laura July 30 2016 Real Time With Bill Maher Renewed Through 2018 Variety Retrieved August 1 2016 Bill Maher Four More Years NPR February 8 2005 Retrieved August 9 2010 Producers Guild of America Awards Winners 1990 2010 PGA org May 29 2012 Gold Derby Los Angeles Times July 20 2009 Archived from the original on July 13 2015 Retrieved July 22 2009 Bill Maher s Remark About Army Borders on Treason Lawmaker Says Celebrity Gossip Fox News May 23 2005 Archived from the original on April 27 2006 Retrieved October 18 2010 McGreal Chris September 20 2010 Christine O Donnell I dabbled in witchcraft The Guardian London Archived from the original on September 22 2010 Retrieved September 20 2010 Sragow Michael Bill Maher celebrates the art of standup The Baltimore Sun permanent dead link The Midterms Media Mainstays Pew Research Center permanent dead link Ken Tucker Christine O Donnell witchcraft and Bill Maher TV and politics put a hex on common sense Entertainment Weekly Itzkoff Dave February 22 2017 Bill Maher Faulted for Booking Milo Yiannopoulos Takes Credit for His Fall The New York Times Retrieved February 22 2017 Moniuszko Sara M January 26 2019 Bill Maher blasts comic book lovers again I m not glad Stan Lee is dead I m sad you re alive USA Today Retrieved February 13 2019 Kaplan Ilana January 26 2019 Bill Maher Reignites Feud With Stan Lee Fans on Real Time Rolling Stone Retrieved February 13 2019 Perez Lexy January 25 2019 Bill Maher Responds to Stan Lee Backlash Advises Comic Fans to Grow Up The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved February 13 2019 Robyn Ross Bill Maher Zach Galifianakis Did Not Light Up a Real Joint TV Guide Archived from the original on December 14 2013 Retrieved December 11 2019 Bill Maher plays Hardball MSN Arianna Hosts The Rachel Maddow Show with Guests Bill Maher Lawrence O Donnell Nate Silver Cory Booker and Google s Eric Schmidt The Huffington Post December 18 2008 Maher on Countdown with Keith Olbermann video MSNBC January 21 2011 Archived from the original on November 6 2011 Retrieved November 7 2011 Bill Maher spends some real time with Joy CNN Archived from the original on October 2 2010 Spin This All the Ways We Don t Tell the Truth Bill Press Simon amp Schuster 2002 Pg xi Bill Maher helps Larry King say goodbye Mediaite Archived from the original on July 6 2010 Retrieved August 9 2010 Rowe Douglas J December 16 2010 Surrounded by Famous Fans Larry King Ends His 25 Year Run on CNN TV Guide Archived from the original on November 2 2011 Retrieved November 7 2011 Heffley Lynne August 22 2004 Scared straight to Hollywood via Los Angeles Times Demara Bruce September 10 2007 Maher preaches to the TIFF choir The Toronto Star Retrieved on October 9 2007 Jaafar Ali Hayes Dade September 10 2007 Toronto festival wary of serious films Religulous finds following at film fest Variety Retrieved on October 9 2007 Nededog Jehtro May 10 2012 HBO Bill Maher Team With Vice for Newsmagazine The Hollywood Reporter Hinckley David April 5 2013 TV review Vice on HBO Daily News a b Allen Michael E February 6 2013 Donald Trump Sues Bill Maher for Calling Him the Son of an Orangutan Forbes Retrieved August 18 2015 Lee Kristen A November 1 2012 Trump puts kibosh on 5M offer to Obama Daily News New York Retrieved August 19 2015 Ax Joseph April 3 2013 Trump withdraws orangutan lawsuit against comic Bill Maher Reuters Retrieved August 4 2015 Real Time with Bill Maher Overtime May 13 2016 HBO YouTube May 13 2016 Archived from the original on October 30 2021 Club Random BillMaher com Retrieved June 25 2022 Bill Maher says he scrapped interview with Kanye West because he s a very charming antisemite The Independent February 7 2024 Retrieved February 7 2024 Martel Frances July 11 2011 Bill Maher To Piers Morgan I Hope Sarah Palin And Michele Bachmann Split the MILF Vote Mediaite Retrieved November 7 2011 a b Marchese David September 30 2019 Bill Maher on the perils of political correctness The New York Times Magazine Rutenberg Jim October 8 2001 Bill Maher still secure in ABC slot at least now The New York Times Maher slams 2012 GOP presidential field video CNN July 16 2010 a b Schwarwtz Ian September 23 2012 Bill Maher On Islam All Religions Are Not Alike RealClearPolitics a b NORML Advisory Board National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Archived from the original on May 14 2012 Retrieved March 22 2012 a b MPP Advisory Board Marijuana Policy Project Archived from the original on February 23 2012 Retrieved March 22 2012 Larry King Live Transcript CNN December 15 2005 Halem Dann August 1 2001 Is Bill Maher a libertarian Archived November 30 2005 at the Wayback Machine Salon news website Retrieved on October 12 2007 Say it loud I m elite and proud Salon April 13 2007 a b Spending Some Real Time With Bill Maher ABC News Retrieved November 23 2022 Ear to the Ground Down to the Wire Truthdig Retrieved October 18 2010 Baram Marcus June 15 2009 Bill Maher Tells Olbermann Why He s Criticizing Obama The Huffington Post Retrieved February 14 2011 CrazyStupidPolitics Bill Maher Live on Yahoo Screen Screen yahoo com April 20 2011 Archived from the original on February 24 2012 billmaher February 24 2012 Tweet by Bill Maher Tweet via Twitter Carter Bill January 31 2014 Maher Wants His Show to Decide a House Race The New York Times Flip a District Real Time with Bill Maher June 3 2014 Caputo Marc February 16 2021 Covid wars launch DeSantis into GOP top tier POLITICO Retrieved February 16 2021 Bill Maher I m With Her or I m With Stupid The Observer July 29 2016 Bill Maher and Michael Moore Turn on Julian Assange I Feel Like He s Drifted The Daily Beast October 29 2016 Bill Maher to Hillary Clinton Stay in the woods OK You had your shot The Washington Times April 3 2017 Archived from the original on August 24 2019 Retrieved August 24 2019 Millionaire Bill Maher pushes for recession Fox Business August 10 2019 Bill Maher Trump s Not Leaving Real Time with Bill Maher HBO YouTube www youtube com Archived from the original on October 30 2021 Retrieved January 10 2021 Bill Maher Bernie Sanders and Trevor Noah fear Trump won t leave if he loses Los Angeles Times September 28 2020 Retrieved January 10 2021 New Rule Big Show with Crazy Maniac Real Time with Bill Maher HBO YouTube www youtube com Archived from the original on October 30 2021 Retrieved January 10 2021 Wise Justin March 14 2019 Trump suggests that it could get very bad if military police biker supporters play tough The Hill Retrieved January 10 2021 Hoffman Jordan August 15 2020 Bill Maher on Trump We ve Baked It Into the Cake That He s Not Going to Leave Vanity Fair Retrieved January 10 2021 Hipes Patrick September 26 2020 Bill Maher Scolds Media For Being No Help Amplifying His Concerns Donald Trump Won t Leave Office Peacefully Deadline Hollywood Retrieved January 10 2021 New Rule How the Left Was Lost Real Time HBO retrieved January 29 2022 Holden Stephen September 30 2008 Believers Skeptics and a Pool of Sitting Ducks The New York Times Thompson Stephen October 9 2002 Is There a God The A V Club Bill Maher explains his apatheism apathetic atheism Archived July 15 2011 at the Wayback Machine CNN Belief Blogs July 12 2011 HBO Real Time with Bill Maher Episode 236 New Rules Home Box Office February 3 2012 Bill Maher The God Botherer The Sunday Times April 1 2009 Bill Maher on Paris massacre There are no great religions they re all stupid and dangerous Raw Story January 8 2015 Walker Joseph January 8 2012 Group lists Top Ten Anti Mormon Statements of 2011 Deseret News a b Berrin Danielle November 29 2012 Bill Maher on Israel uncut and uncensored The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles a b c Kohn Sally December 2014 Petition All You Want Bill Maher Will Speak at Berkeley Vanity Fair Retrieved April 13 2015 Bill Maher Stands By Mohammed Remarks I Don t Need To Apologize For Being A Proud Westerner Mediaite November 1 2010 Retrieved March 13 2011 Sasson Eric October 9 2014 Yes Bill Maher Is Boorish But We Shouldn t Be Afraid to Criticize Islam The New Republic Timonen Josh September 28 2009 A note about the Richard Dawkins Award being presented to Bill Maher this weekend The Richard Dawkins Foundation Archived June 23 2013 at the Wayback Machine Project Reason Advisory Board Project Reason December 15 2014 Archived from the original on December 15 2014 Retrieved March 26 2023 Garcia Arturo June 7 2013 Maher defends NSA data searches It s not because I m brave but because I m scared The Raw Story Archived from the original on June 9 2013 Retrieved June 9 2013 2002 12 16 broadcast CNN American Morning with Paula Zahn Talk with Bill Maher Transcript Caveat This is a rush transcript retrieved on October 12 2007 Joseph Alli February 4 2017 WATCH Sam Harris tells Bill Maher we need to win the war of ideas Salon Retrieved October 30 2022 Kreps Daniel February 11 2017 See Bill Maher Jim Jefferies Rip Piers Morgan for Defending Muslim Ban Rolling Stone Retrieved October 30 2022 Douglas MacKinnon opinion contributor February 6 2021 Bill Maher for Biden s Minister of Truth The Hill Retrieved May 13 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a first has generic name help Wulfsohn Joseph May 14 2022 Bill Maher rails against Nina Jankowicz Disinfo Governance Board These are not bright people Fox News Retrieved May 13 2023 WEIR BILL ARONS MELINDA Spending Some Real Time With Bill Maher ABC News Retrieved May 9 2023 Stern Marlow April 23 2016 Bill Maher Rips U S Military The Most Ridiculous Mass Murder Machine the World Has Ever Seen The Daily Beast Retrieved May 9 2023 Bill Maher Blasts Tea Baggers For Ignoring Defense Spending VIDEO The Huffington Post June 23 2010 Retrieved May 9 2023 Bill Maher To Obama On Saudi Arabia Stop Respecting Their Medieval Bulls t Yahoo News January 31 2015 Modell Josh Bill Maher Film Interview The A V Club Archived from the original on September 14 2010 Retrieved October 18 2010 Bill Maher Defends Israel Again People Die in Wars Mediaite August 2 2014 Archived from the original on August 2 2014 Retrieved October 29 2022 Bill Maher Compares Hamas To A Crazy Woman That You Have To Slap Business Insider July 17 2014 Dorman Sam August 22 2019 Bill Maher fires back at Tlaib after she suggests a boycott of his show Fox News Wulfsohn Joseph August 24 2019 Bill Maher invites Rashida Tlaib to discuss Israel BDS on his show Fox News Bill Maher Says Israel Has Moral High Ground In Gaza Conflict On Real Time decider com October 14 2021 Retrieved November 4 2023 The horrific attack which saw more than 1 200 Israelis killed was applauded by some which Maher is taking serious issue with Bill Maher criticizes Obama s moral equivalency on Israel Hamas He disappointed me Time News November 11 2023 Nunez Joaquin November 12 2023 Bill Maher takes aim at Obama for his comments about Israel and Hamas He has rarely disappointed me he did so this week Voz Media Concha Joe April 11 2020 Bill Maher defends calling coronavirus Chinese virus mocks Ted Lieu The Hill Williams Jordan March 13 2021 Maher US lost to China too focused on woke competition and lizard people The Hill Pengelly Martin June 3 2017 Bill Maher sorry for use of N word as HBO calls it inexcusable and tasteless The Guardian a b Phillips Kristine June 3 2017 Bill Maher says he is very sorry for using a racial slur on his HBO show The Washington Post Evans Greg June 10 2017 Bill Maher Apologizes Again For N Word Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 24 2021 Castronuovo Celine September 11 2021 Bill Maher criticizes NFL for playing Black national anthem The Hill Bachmann Brett September 25 2021 Bill Maher hits back at Whoopi Goldberg in ongoing feud over Black national anthem Salon Brownlee Dana October 1 2021 Here s Why Bill Maher Is Dead Wrong On The Black National Anthem Forbes Bill Maher s But What About Merit Commentary Exposes the Racist Conditioning of Many Good White People Forbes Bill Maher Trashes Critical Race Theory Says Racism Not Essence of America Newsweek November 18 2021 Retrieved December 9 2022 Video Bill Maher sounds off on critical race theory to Chris Cuomo CNN Business November 21 2021 retrieved December 9 2022 Bill Maher rails against critical race theory argues it s just virtue signaling November 18 2021 Retrieved December 9 2022 Stern Marlow November 21 2015 Bill Maher Criticizes Syrian Refugees Their Values Are At Odds with Our Values The Daily Beast Retrieved October 30 2022 Bill Maher Criticizes Syrian Refugees Those Values Are Not Our Values Video November 21 2015 Retrieved October 30 2022 Howell Kellan Bill Maher blasts liberals for defending Islam Muslims sharing Western values is bull The Washington Times Retrieved November 13 2022 Lonas Lexi August 28 2021 Maher Afghanistan shows woke Americans what real oppression looks like The Hill Retrieved October 30 2022 Stern Marlow August 22 2015 Bill Maher Slams Anti Immigrant Donald Trump For Having Immigrant Wives The Daily Beast Retrieved October 30 2022 Bill Maher America Does Need To Build A Wall The Huffington Post February 2 2019 Retrieved October 30 2022 Karlin Lily March 5 2016 Bill Maher Calls Out Republican Presidential Candidates Hypocrisy On Real Time The Huffington Post Retrieved November 15 2022 Wulfsohn Joseph April 29 2022 Bill Maher When is Biden going to understand that immigration is a big deal Fox News Retrieved November 5 2022 Famous talk show host Bill Maher endorses referendum to ban bear baiting Bangor Daily News September 15 2014 Retrieved September 15 2014 The Walls Have Ears and Other Side Effects of This Medication Conan Season 3 Episode 45 February 12 2013 TBS Halem Dann August 1 2001 Is Bill Maher a libertarian Salon Retrieved November 13 2022 Cirilli Kevin April 13 2013 Maher slams 2nd Amendment Politico Bill Maher says 2nd Amendment is Bullshit YouTube Bill Maher Blames Hollywood s Romanticization of Gun Violence for Mass Shooting June 11 2022 Retrieved October 30 2022 Wulfsohn Joseph June 11 2022 Bill Maher rips Hollywood for not going woke on romanticizing gun violence This is part of the problem Fox News Retrieved October 30 2022 Bill Maher Talks Of Trump Guns And Atheists In A Lively Real Time Exchange Yahoo Entertainment April 2023 Retrieved April 13 2023 Kornick Lindsay April 2 2023 Bill Maher admits to Winsome Earle Sears that guns are a leveler for women It makes sense Fox News Retrieved April 13 2023 Real Time with Bill Maher The Trouble With Obamacare HBO archived from the original on October 30 2021 retrieved February 24 2020 Real Time With Bill Maher Overtime Episode 218 Archived from the original on October 30 2021 via YouTube 2009 06 15 Keith Olbermann Bill Maher Talks About Taking On Obama on YouTube dead link Countdown With Keith Olbermann Retrieved June 30 2009 Countdown With Keith Olbermann NBC News June 15 2009 Bill Maher Part 2 The Tonight Show Archived from the original on August 30 2009 Retrieved October 18 2010 Davis Glenn September 30 2010 Bill Maher On The Factor Part II The Two Bills Clash On Religion Mediaite Retrieved February 14 2013 Real Time with Bill Maher September 28 2007 HBO Home WINHS World Institute of Natural Health Sciences Retrieved February 24 2012 Larry King Live Interview With Bill Maher CNN September 13 2004 Kerry Trueman Maher and Moore Chew Out the Fat The Huffington Post May 30 2007 Parker Pope Tara October 13 2009 Bill Maher vs the Flu Vaccine The New York Times Retrieved April 1 2010 Offit says that celebrities like Maher are seen as less credible and would still be considered just great entertainment if they weren t joined by the former Director of the National Institutes of Health Bernadine Healy and influential pediatrician Robert Sears Offit Paul 2011 Deadly Choices How the Anti Vaccine Movement Threatens us all Basic Books pp 168 171 Gorski David Bill Maher gets the Richard Dawkins Award That s like Jenny McCarthy getting an award for public health ScienceBlogs Retrieved March 20 2013 Gardner Martin November 2009 Bill Maher Crank and Comic CSICOP Retrieved March 20 2013 Novella Steven September 23 2009 Podcast 218 The Skeptics Guide to the Universe Archived from the original on December 10 2012 Retrieved March 20 2013 Swiss Jamy Ian Overlapping Magisteria JREF Archived from the original on October 30 2021 Retrieved March 20 2013 Slotek Jim October 28 2009 Needling Bill Maher Winnipeg Sun Gorski David November 4 2019 Shame on HBO Bill Maher interviews Dr Jay Gordon and the antivaccine misinformation flows Science Based Medicine Retrieved November 7 2019 Wulfsohn Joseph March 3 2023 Bill Maher says COVID dissenters are looking pretty good following lab leak theory developments Fox News Retrieved March 18 2023 Wulfsohn Joseph April 17 2021 Maher praises DeSantis knocks Cuomo liberal media for getting COVID wrong Those are just facts Fox News Retrieved April 22 2021 Bloom Steve November 8 2014 Bill Maher s Guide to Selling Weed celebstoner com Bill Maher High Fives Biden for Marijuana Pardons Pot Smokers Do Vote October 8 2022 Retrieved October 30 2022 Bill Maher High Fives Biden for Marijuana Pardons Pot Smokers Do Show Up to Vote ca sports yahoo com October 8 2022 Retrieved October 30 2022 Weed Time With Bill Maher The Huffington Post April 11 2014 Retrieved July 1 2015 Hat s Off to Bill Maher Fox News October 22 2007 Archived from the original on December 25 2007 Retrieved January 17 2008 Vaillancourt William June 12 2021 Bill Maher Has a Message for QAnon on Behalf of Cicadas Everywhere The Daily Beast Retrieved October 29 2022 Alex Jones Gets to Speak Bill Maher Defends Conspiracy Theorist Ousted From Social Media August 17 2018 Retrieved October 29 2022 Thomsen Jacqueline August 18 2018 Bill Maher criticizes social media bans Alex Jones gets to speak The Hill Retrieved October 30 2022 Garber Megan February 11 2018 The Selective Empathy of MeToo Backlash The Atlantic Retrieved March 11 2020 Berman Judy October 1 2018 The Men of Late Night Take on Brett Kavanaugh Time Retrieved March 11 2020 Johnson Martin March 7 2020 Bill Maher defends Chris Matthews mocks harassment claim The Hill Retrieved March 11 2020 Stern Marlow October 31 2020 Bill Maher Tries to Rehab Al Franken s Image Before the Election The Daily Beast Retrieved April 21 2023 Bill Maher Calls for Al Franken s Return and Blasts His Accusers on Real Time Yahoo Entertainment September 8 2018 Retrieved April 21 2023 Loeb Steven BILL MAHER Obama Needs To Force Gay Marriage On America Like Republicans Would Business Insider Retrieved May 24 2023 Cirilli Kevin April 3 2013 Maher jokes about the gay agenda POLITICO Retrieved May 24 2023 Vakil Caroline May 21 2022 Maher says increase in those identifying as LGBT partly attributed to being trendy The Hill Retrieved May 22 2022 Wakefield Lily May 21 2022 Bill Maher says US is experimenting on kids and everyone will be gay by 2054 PinkNews Retrieved May 22 2022 GLAAD Responds to Real Time with Bill Maher Segment Along for the Pride GLAAD May 21 2022 Retrieved May 14 2023 Medical Association Statements Supporting Trans Youth Healthcare and Against Discriminatory Bills GLAAD April 19 2021 Retrieved May 14 2023 a b Wulfsohn Joseph March 11 2022 Maher rejects liberal Don t Say Gay uproar over Florida bill Maybe young kids shouldn t think about sex Fox News Retrieved April 21 2023 a b Wulfsohn Joseph A News Fox January 21 2023 Bill Maher Biden all in on trans indoctrination of kids Retrieved April 21 2023 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last2 has generic name help a b Wulfsohn Joseph January 20 2023 Bill Maher says Biden administration all in on pushing trans indoctrination with kids Fox News Retrieved April 21 2023 Bill Maher Says People Are Being Hurt by WGA Strike No One Is Owed a Living as a Writer Yahoo Entertainment September 5 2023 Retrieved September 6 2023 Bill Maher Says Gov Gavin Newsom Needs to Help End Writers Strike TMZ TMZ Retrieved September 14 2023 Steinberg Brian September 14 2023 Bill Maher Plans to Start HBO s Real Time Without Writers Variety Retrieved September 14 2023 Bill Maher Is Bringing Real Time Back Without Writers UPROXX September 14 2023 Retrieved September 14 2023 Sharf Zack September 14 2023 Keith Olbermann Says F You to Bill Maher for Bringing Back Scab Edition of Real Time Amid Strikes You Selfish and Unfunny Scumbag Variety Retrieved September 14 2023 Bill Maher postpones return the latest TV host to balk at working during writers strike Associated Press September 18 2023 Retrieved September 19 2023 via Yahoo News Awards Chatter Podcast Bill Maher Real Time With Bill Maher The Hollywood Reporter June 25 2016 Long Liz July 31 2015 An Interview with Bill Maher TheRoanoker com Hiatt Brian December 3 2014 Chris Rock The Rolling Stone Interview Rolling Stone Bloom Steve November 8 2014 Bill Maher Finishes Season on High Note celebstoner com Clips From Last Night Bill Maher on why he s never been married and American innovation Archived July 25 2021 at the Wayback Machine Piers Morgan Live CNN July 12 2011 a b Side Dish Bill Maher is so in love he may even break his biggest rule get married New York Daily News October 26 2009 About Bill Maher biography billmaher com Retrieved August 25 2013 Bill Maher Hit With Palimony Suit Archived from the original on December 21 2008 Retrieved January 3 2009 Lehner Marla November 29 2004 Bill Maher Ex Girlfriend Is a Con Artist Bill Maher People Retrieved July 1 2015 Hagan Joe April 9 2012 It Won t Hurt You It s Vapor New York Magazine pg 6 Judge Dismisses 9M Lawsuit Against Bill Maher Archived October 9 2012 at the Wayback Machine Fox News Associated Press May 4 2005 Maher Ex Is Serial Shakedown Artist The Smoking Gun November 29 2004 The Fix Salon November 30 2004 Keller Julie November 30 2004 Bill Maher Cries Con E Calhoune Sandra Plot Summary of Confessions of A Video Vixen Archived from the original on December 5 2008 Retrieved January 8 2009 a b Bill Maher Smart Snide Still Single Archived from the original on November 8 2005 Retrieved January 3 2009 A Bawdy Lifestyle and How to Shake It Washington Post July 28 2005 Bill Maher amp Cara Santa Maria Split InTouch Weekly March 21 2011 Archived September 6 2011 at the Wayback Machine Kennedy John March 22 2014 Bill Maher supports Rob Ford Global News Retrieved December 17 2014 Rubin Adam June 3 2012 Bill Maher owns stake in Mets ESPN New York Retrieved June 4 2012 HBO Comedy Hour September 23 1995 Stern Marlow November 3 2016 Bill Maher Roasts Rapist Donald Trump in WhinyLittleBitch Comedy Special The Daily Beast External linksBill Maher at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Media from Commons nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Data from Wikidata Official website nbsp Bill Maher at Curlie Bill Maher at IMDb Bill Maher on National Public Radio in 2004 Appearances on C SPAN Bill Maher on Charlie Rose Bill Maher at Library of Congress with 14 library catalog records Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bill Maher amp oldid 1212304124, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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