Done with Maher
William Jenkins 
I used to enjoy his show. I would look forward to it every Friday. Now, he is spending all of his time whining about masks, etc. We get it, Bill, you miss the constant roar of approval. You just aren't funny anymore.
| by Anonymous | reply 87 | November 18, 2021 4:25 PM |
I'll alert the media of your stance, OP.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | November 6, 2021 5:00 PM |
OP is right. I hate to call our Bill but he is trying to be Joe Rohan who is stealing his thunder. So he felt he had to pivot right to keep his audience.
It’s a shame because his schtick was always authentic to me but now it’s more positioning and playing footsie with deplorables.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | November 6, 2021 5:06 PM |
I must agree with OP and R2 -Something has happened and Bill Maher is just not very funny. Nor is he very timely. I think the past 5 years of Trump trauma messed up his mojo. MSM sucks in general and Maher -well I watch the monologue and the epilogue and the occasional guest-as long as it's not Sean Spicer, Ann Coulter or Megan Kelly. There is something definitely off about Maher but he's boring. R2 nailed it-"playing footsie with deplorables".
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | November 6, 2021 5:12 PM |
Pretty much tracking on the Dennis Miller path.
It does seem true that "humor" from the cranky resentment reactionary quarter really isn't very funny.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | November 6, 2021 5:14 PM |
“There is something definitely off about Maher”
100% agreed.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | November 6, 2021 5:15 PM |
I got my J&J in the spring. Per the Time’s Covid reporter, David Leonhardt, I, who’s otherwise not high at risk? ditched my mask. With the Delta advent & updated news about J&J not being as effective, I resumed mask wearing. I got my (Moderna) booster on Monday. Two weeks thereafter, when the booster’s said to be fully effective, I will again ditch my mask. As someone who’s very invested in the Democrats’ success, I believe the sooner we healthies all get back to “normal” the better.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | November 6, 2021 5:31 PM |
Maher is around Republican pundit trash way too much. They rubbed off on him. That and aging has turned him into a "get off my lawn, you progressive punks!" grump.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | November 6, 2021 5:42 PM |
The way he sniped at Klobuchar when she talked about getting more vaccines for kids "that's not a good thing, let's move on" was point blank deplorable.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | November 6, 2021 5:44 PM |
The Klobuchar segment was terrible. She’s there to plug a book and he only mentions the title in ending the interview. I sensed his frustration with her answers; she kept talking about listening to people but what was she supposed to say? She can’t possibly agree with Maher.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | November 6, 2021 5:49 PM |
Cool, those other 15 threads about him weren't enough, so you should draw even more attention to him since you're done with him!
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | November 6, 2021 5:50 PM |
There comes a point in life where you either realize you’re getting old and cranky and you need to work to keep your views flexible, or you stay in denial and think that everyone else are the crazy ones and the kids today are sending the world to hell (as cranky old people have been saying for millennia). Smart people take the former path and Bill Maher is firmly on the latter.
| by Anonymous | reply 11 | November 6, 2021 5:53 PM |
This season isn't one of his best. The guests have been ok, but Bill is definitely off.
| by Anonymous | reply 13 | November 6, 2021 5:55 PM |
I stopped watching him before last years election.
How long does he expect people to hang around being told they're awful? I don't have any interest in that sort of thing.
| by Anonymous | reply 14 | November 6, 2021 6:02 PM |
Lean conservative and actually enjoyed the show from beginning to end. Klobuchar kept changing the subject when asked tough questions, and Glenn Loury was a great guest. Maher's New Rule segment was great too and timely considering the news with Travis Scott today.
| by Anonymous | reply 15 | November 6, 2021 6:05 PM |
Loved seeing Loury take down Dyson's rhetorical wordplay with common sense arguments. No amount of pretty language could disguise those weak arguments.
| by Anonymous | reply 16 | November 6, 2021 6:14 PM |
R16 They were pretty respectful of each other, which was nice. But you really thought Loury's "Let's pretend race doesn't matter" is common sense? Truly?
| by Anonymous | reply 17 | November 6, 2021 6:23 PM |
Yeah, when Glenn Loury said that, he reminded me of Coleman Hughes, the pundit Bill had on a few months ago who said that black people should just stop identifying as black.
| by Anonymous | reply 18 | November 6, 2021 6:39 PM |
Glenn never said that race doesn't matter. He just make the point that institutions pander to blacks while ignoring actual reforms that would help the black community living in poverty stricken communities. He also pushed back on the claim that blacks aren't self segregating.
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | November 6, 2021 6:43 PM |
Also loved the window dressing quote. Wokeism has become synonymous with fake activism. Bill brought that point home with a terrific New Rules segment.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | November 6, 2021 6:48 PM |
R20 Maher would've been considered "woke" back in the early 90s when his show "P.I." debuted on Comedy Central.
He supported gay rights back then but never talked about getting off his butt & going to any pride parades (they were more important for LGBT visibility & our allies back then). He also never mentioned any boycotts he was doing for our behalf so he was the living embodiment of "fake activism". He said he was pro gay rights just so the left leaning pro gay entertainment industry would do his fledging show back then.
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | November 6, 2021 7:43 PM |
Let me explain something to to the pinheaded set: everyone is woke when it comes to their pet issues. Everyone.
But mostly deplorables and their whining about being held accountable for their egregious actions. It’s amazing how fast the get sanctimonious and “woke”.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | November 6, 2021 7:47 PM |
He's actually adding to the anti Democrat sentiment.
| by Anonymous | reply 24 | November 6, 2021 9:16 PM |
Maher is old, that’s all. When he was young he was spontaneous and thought quickly. Now that he’s old, pompous and he makes speeches. Nobody wants to see an old fart speechify on a Friday night. Time for new blood.
| by Anonymous | reply 25 | November 6, 2021 9:30 PM |
[quote]Pretty much tracking on the Dennis Miller path.
Does he shake his shoulders like Dennis when he wants to signal that it's time to laugh?
| by Anonymous | reply 26 | November 6, 2021 9:33 PM |
feel like alot of these older white guys who had our attention 5 years ago are now missing the mark.
| by Anonymous | reply 27 | November 6, 2021 10:00 PM |
Nobody really cares enough about Maher to care about Maher.
| by Anonymous | reply 28 | November 6, 2021 11:41 PM |
Is he still a thing? That show should've been cancelled years ago. He just sits there like a bump on a log while the Republican/GQP people spout their lies and nonsense. I think it's fine to have them as guests, but he needs to do his homework and push back on the BS. Then again, that might require putting down the bong in between shows. He's just turned into a libertarian version of Archie Bunker.
| by Anonymous | reply 29 | November 6, 2021 11:44 PM |
Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, and Joe Rogan are the only liberals I can stand to listen to anymore. It's so stupid to focus on these identity issues when we are on the verge of another economic catastrophe that will make 2008 look quaint in comparison.
| by Anonymous | reply 30 | November 7, 2021 1:34 AM |
Russel Brand is surprisingly insightful as well.
| by Anonymous | reply 31 | November 7, 2021 1:36 AM |
I've become addicted to Greg Gutfeld. He has the most eclectic group of guests ever (two of his four guests tonight were gay, but that was barely acknowledged). He is absolutely brutal to CNN and MSNBC . What he does to Brian Stelter is beyond vicious, but hysterical.
| by Anonymous | reply 32 | November 7, 2021 1:44 AM |
HIs editorial at the end was excellent. He is right about this generation's use of fossil fuels. They are just as bad as boomers when it comes to sustainablalty.
| by Anonymous | reply 33 | November 7, 2021 1:48 AM |
Those are all the worst people to listen to.
| by Anonymous | reply 35 | November 7, 2021 2:17 AM |
[quote] I've become addicted to Greg Gutfeld. He has the most eclectic group of guests ever
SURE JAN. Does Vlad pay you for each individual post or are you on salary for a scoop of borscht and a pint of vodka every month?
Try harder, hon. You can do better!
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | November 7, 2021 2:40 AM |
Joe Rogan?!? Greg Gutfeld?!? More Trumptard incursion. Shouldn’t you bitches be over at Parler trying to close a deal on Ivermectin? GTFO with your fascist COVID cooties.
| by Anonymous | reply 37 | November 7, 2021 3:10 AM |
He’s not veering right, it’s just a perfect example of how liberalism of one generation conflicts with today’s version of liberalism. We saw this with the AOC “old people are expendable” comment. The same people who say “ok boomer” to anyone who isn’t as woke as they are.
| by Anonymous | reply 38 | November 7, 2021 3:16 AM |
As a long, long time watcher (going back to the PI days), I've also noticed the change in the last several years (if not decade). What was once fun, sharp, and informative is now almost a chore to watch. I leave his show exhausted and irritated. When he's right, he's right. When he's wrong, he's SO wrong. There's clearly a set of subjects that he just doesn't get these days. I wish there were more guests that would actually challenge him and call bullshit once in a while. When few do, he gets so defensive. He really doesn't like being pushed back when he's wrong. The other part of the time the interviews are just awkward and uncomfortable. Also wish he'd let his guests talk more. Now it's more about him talking for the sake of hearing his own voice almost. Talk about criticizing echo chambers. And that thing he does when someone else talks, finishes, and then he looks down and goes "well, I'm right" in that flippant way...uh, no, you're not. Not always. But the "get off my lawn" comparison is spot on. At this point, it's not sharp or clever anymore, it's just cranky, out of touch, and almost paranoid. The ending monologues are still pretty damn good though, as well as the panel segments (sometimes), but there really needs to be 3.
| by Anonymous | reply 39 | November 7, 2021 4:32 AM |
[quote] He’s not veering right, it’s just a perfect example of how liberalism of one generation conflicts with today’s version of liberalism.
The mistake was assuming that woke means extreme left when really it's come to define a failure in leadership. There are people on the far left who are focused on real change. However, woke ideology has become useful to the establishment who strive for symbolic victories so they can maintain the status quo. I'm not sure to what extent this was true in the past, but it's extremely apparent now. For all his faults, Bill Maher is one of the few on the left who understand this.
| by Anonymous | reply 40 | November 7, 2021 4:48 AM |
Woke is a dated term. I’ll give her that. It’s tired and lame and no one cool uses it anymore. I believe that was her point and she is correct there.
| by Anonymous | reply 41 | November 7, 2021 4:54 AM |
R41 well I’m so glad she has her finger on the pulse of what the cool kids are saying. That’s always what I’ve wanted in a political leader. But hey, if it gets her free Met Ball tix - she’s totally killing it!!
| by Anonymous | reply 42 | November 7, 2021 5:06 AM |
R41 People know what the term "woke" means. It doesn't matter if you call it something else.
| by Anonymous | reply 43 | November 7, 2021 5:14 AM |
Bill is great, love his show. The thinking man's comedian.
| by Anonymous | reply 44 | November 7, 2021 8:25 AM |
He began a transition to angry old man who betrayed his own principles a decade ago.
One of the reasons I started listening to Maher when I was young, 20ish years ago, is that he talked about environmental concerns when others did not. He brought up environmentalism constantly and consistently. He was also anti-religion—he actually took that further than I was entirely comfortable with given his condescension and mean mockery of religious people, which I always thought was unnecessary, but I generally agreed with his sentiments.
At some point, he stopped talking about the environment altogether. That used to be a primary driver of his discussions and then he dropped it. His only notable recent environment-related complaint has been how long it took to get approval from California to put up solar panels on his house. (Just wait; he will soon complain that they aren't worth it.) That was personal, not a larger environmental concern.
He may not be entirely wrong about his closing 'editorial' argument about cryptocurrency using a lot of energy, but that's also a straw man argument (a tactic a guest called him on earlier in the show). His summary suggested that all young people are aware crypto uses tons of energy and that they say "it's future generations' problem." That's a reckless and misleading argument. Most young people don't use cryptocurrency even if most crypto users are young. Many who use it aren't aware of how wasteful it is. And being wasteful in one area doesn't mean that conserving energy in other areas is wasteful. Yes, fine, hypocrisy, but Maher's old-man argument was to throw the baby out with the bathwater and to tell the kids to get off his astroturf. He's a shadow of what he once was.
Throughout the 2000s, he also switched from being anti-religious to being specifically anti-Islam, comparing Christianity favorably to Islam. The people he had mocked and to whom he had condescended suddenly were good Americans to him by contrast. Just last week he apologized to a guest for cursing because the guest was a Christian. He never would have done that in the past.
He has changed significantly in his views. He has always had a libertarian bent, but he was progressive in ways that mattered, basically an environmentalist and a humanist. Now he is a Maherist. Pay attention to what he says and how he says it. Pathologically, he is a lot like Trump. Nearly every argument he makes is hinged to how the topic affects him personally; if it doesn't, then he doesn't want to discuss it. He has become a total narcissist.
| by Anonymous | reply 45 | November 7, 2021 9:37 AM |
He's now being lionized by The Daily Caller, in case anyone mistakes him for anything other than a gift to the alt-right.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 46 | November 7, 2021 10:09 AM |
He apologized because the guest was a U.S. Senator, R45/Boris. But you knew that.
| by Anonymous | reply 49 | November 7, 2021 10:44 AM |
[quote]At some point, he stopped talking about the environment altogether.
He mentions it most every show.
| by Anonymous | reply 50 | November 7, 2021 10:53 AM |
Even when I agreed with him, I've always found Maher to be a smug asshole.
| by Anonymous | reply 51 | November 7, 2021 12:22 PM |
I have fast forwarded through his monologues for almost a decade because he is a smug asshole who boos and jeers his audience when they don't laugh at his bad jokes or agree with him. I don't think he's funny most of the time. He makes fun of people for being too politically sensitive to laugh at his jokes but he is politically sensitive about his jokes and gets pissed off when people don't agree with them.
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | November 7, 2021 12:28 PM |
Every week we have this or some similar thread. Quite frankly, I don't think that Maher has changed at all. You all just don't like who he's picking on now. What he talks about on his show are things that a lot of democrats talk about and he feels the same way that a lot of democrats feel.
He's not MSNBC, his show is not the confirmation bias hour.
| by Anonymous | reply 53 | November 7, 2021 12:30 PM |
[quote] Even when I agreed with him, I've always found Maher to be a smug asshole.
And the crazy thing is, he called Maddow smug. He has zero self awareness.
| by Anonymous | reply 54 | November 7, 2021 1:41 PM |
I have never been a viewer. However I saw an episode a few weeks ago. Is Maher ill, he looked horrible?
| by Anonymous | reply 55 | November 7, 2021 1:43 PM |
Isn't he besties with Ann Coulter?
| by Anonymous | reply 56 | November 7, 2021 2:22 PM |
R55 he's always looked that way...
| by Anonymous | reply 58 | November 7, 2021 4:24 PM |
Reading further comments on this thread.. confirms: I hate the Internet.
Just one observation... this asinine back and forth of "woke", right and left, young and old...
In a sense the original "wokeness" is not "Lefitist" in the traditional definitions. "The political is personal" identity movements of the 60s, 70s, 80s... replaced the "class struggle" models of the International Left. The "replacement theory" is still a chasm... as class privilege enhances even as identity politics gets centered in the Public Sphere.
| by Anonymous | reply 59 | November 7, 2021 5:35 PM |
I don't know how anyone could listen to him in the first place.
| by Anonymous | reply 60 | November 7, 2021 6:44 PM |
He’s so obsessed about wokeism—but only tends to have conservative blacks on who just agree with him.
| by Anonymous | reply 61 | November 7, 2021 8:00 PM |
Three words to explain Bill Maher-short man syndrome.
| by Anonymous | reply 62 | November 7, 2021 10:08 PM |
I smoke pot!
I really like getting high!
Weed is where it’s at!
Old republicans don’t like weed so I don’t like them.
Wait a sec….old republicans are now SELLING weed! For enormous profit!
I’m with them!
| by Anonymous | reply 63 | November 8, 2021 5:04 PM |
Republicans did with Maher what Maher& Al Franken did with Arianna Huffington years ago.
PS - Whatever happened to Arianna Huffington? She disappeared off the radar secretary over a decade ago.
| by Anonymous | reply 64 | November 8, 2021 5:05 PM |
Maher always attacks who is in power.
| by Anonymous | reply 65 | November 8, 2021 5:11 PM |
He's gotten so one note and boring
| by Anonymous | reply 66 | November 8, 2021 7:21 PM |
[quote] Republicans did with Maher what Maher& Al Franken did with Arianna Huffington years ago. PS - Whatever happened to Arianna Huffington? She disappeared off the radar secretary over a decade ago.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 67 | November 11, 2021 10:26 PM |
Jesus H Crist your bitter bitties have been DONE WITH MAHER for a decade. And with Saturday Night Live for longer. IT JUST ISN'T FUNNY:
Well stop watching it and STFU and stop creating the same thread every week for 10 fucking years. SHEESH!
| by Anonymous | reply 68 | November 11, 2021 10:31 PM |
R66 "He's gotten so one note and boring"
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
| by Anonymous | reply 69 | November 11, 2021 10:34 PM |
It's just adorable how so many of you are outraged because Maher is being 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝐼𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡.
| by Anonymous | reply 70 | November 11, 2021 11:43 PM |
R70...It is not about political correctness. It is about not being funny. He is supposed to be a COMEDIAN!
| by Anonymous | reply 71 | November 12, 2021 5:04 PM |
R67 I've known her since she was young. She's a colossal fake but an excellent hustler. She cashed in for the big money that she had always longed for and was smart enough to walk away from the rat fuck. It was wearing her down.
| by Anonymous | reply 72 | November 12, 2021 5:07 PM |
His "both sides" shit is so boring and depressing. I have this fear that a lot of people (a lot of stupid people) agree with him.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 73 | November 18, 2021 1:38 PM |
Maher has always been a bitter little bastard, scathing can turn into whining far too easily.
| by Anonymous | reply 74 | November 18, 2021 1:42 PM |
I just don't know what Hunter did that was so bad? Sold art? Got some bullshit no-show job based on his last name? I mean - it's gross but so what?
Trump hired his whole family and they did that and worse.
| by Anonymous | reply 75 | November 18, 2021 1:47 PM |
R1 Maher was never ever in his entire life been funny. Not a single thing he ever said was funny.
| by Anonymous | reply 76 | November 18, 2021 1:52 PM |
Ann Coulter, of all people, had a good line. She said "Bill [Maher] and Larry [O'Donnell] dated a black girl once and think they're Freedom Riders."
| by Anonymous | reply 77 | November 18, 2021 1:57 PM |
Imagine smoking all that weed and still being that cranky and tonedeaf
| by Anonymous | reply 78 | November 18, 2021 1:58 PM |
I saw him on Cuomo last night and found him extremely sensible and moderate. He blames most US COVID deaths on obesity, which should make you orgasmically happy.
| by Anonymous | reply 79 | November 18, 2021 2:31 PM |
His "both sides" plea for unity is tiresome and unrealistic. What the right wants is antithetical to the democratic way while what the left wants is equality, justice, and fairness.
| by Anonymous | reply 80 | November 18, 2021 3:30 PM |
I'm not so sure about the justice part. More wants to tell people what exactly will be justice, these days. Otherwise, I agree.
Maher makes the point, and personally I agree with him, that the hard and far left has morphed from equality and fairness into punishing wrongs that a majority of voters don't relate to. And the fact is, banning Jefferson and all that, seems loopy to most people. You can be informed about a full picture of all things without having to damn or condemn the whole mess.
| by Anonymous | reply 81 | November 18, 2021 3:36 PM |
(Continuing R80's train of thought) ...and for women to be referred to by professional organizations as "bodies with vaginas" or "non-men," for children to be started on puberty blockers starting at age two of they demonstrate any enthusiasm for pursuits that defy rigid gender stereotypes, for Minor Attracted Persons (aka pedos) to be normalized, for male rapists to be placed in women's prisons...and so much more!
| by Anonymous | reply 82 | November 18, 2021 3:39 PM |
He made a great characterization of how a certain subgroup wants to "treat children as short adults" with respect to many things, including gender identification. His point was the people banging on about these extremities are miles apart from the mainstream and that the Democrats are so heavily identified with that part of the dialogue is a big part of the problem.
| by Anonymous | reply 83 | November 18, 2021 3:46 PM |
I think he can be funny occasionally in conversation and during his "new rules" segment, but his standup turns me off so much that I have fast-forwarded through his monologues for a decade when I watch him. He has a bad attitude. He sneers at the audience when they don't laugh at poorly written material.
He's smug. In recent years, I've realized he has a personality similar to Trump's. A lot of his jokes are personal attacks, often involving petty name calling and sometimes dehumanization. He thinks he is smarter than everyone and right about everything. He brings on experts but always presumes he has greater expertise and insights. And worst of all, like Trump, his ego is fragile and he flips out when people criticize him. He never considers when he is criticized by masses that he could be wrong; everyone else is stupid, misinformed and his enemy. For someone who sees a lot of shades of gray, his ego is all "with me or against me."
| by Anonymous | reply 84 | November 18, 2021 3:54 PM |
If ever a face ever demanded a mask, Maher's would be it.
| by Anonymous | reply 85 | November 18, 2021 4:01 PM |
I expected that too, R84, last night on Cuomo.... (I was kind of dreading an hour of those two divas but I've drifted back to cable news because of the Kyle Ratface trial in Wisconsin and the Arbury trial in Georgia.)
To my surprise, Maher was subdued and dispassionate throughout the whole thing. I never watch his show. It must be his schtick. Whether it works or not (and based on reading your post I am inclined to agree it doesn't) he was not what I was expecting last night.
I really enjoyed a moderate (not just this moderate) making articulate, reasoned sense of the various pressures in society without the hysteria you see on tv and the internet.
| by Anonymous | reply 86 | November 18, 2021 4:11 PM |
The problem is his points aren't reasoned. He's increasingly becoming a cranky old man. His vaccine paranoia and weird, California wellness-kookiness (there's about a cenitmeter between him and Amanda Chantal Bacon) has really come to the fore in the pandemic.
Blaming all the Covid deaths on American obesity isn't just mean - it's a lie. But it's a lie that's comforting to a Cali health kook like him. Is it possible that the absence of reliable health care for a huge chunk of Americans maybe had more to do with it? What kind of expertise does he bring to bear when he states that opinion? Do all the deaths in India and China mean they're fat too?
Fuck him.
| by Anonymous | reply 87 | November 18, 2021 4:25 PM |
