Bill Maher isn’t ready for another MAGA presidency.
On Sunday, the “Real Time with Bill Maher” host reflected on the future of his HBO talk show following President-elect Donald Trump’s recent election win during an interview with Jane Fonda on his “Club Random” podcast.
“I may quit because I don’t want to do another. I did Trump. I did all the Trump stuff before anybody,” Maher told Fonda. “I called him a con man before anybody. I did. He’s a mafia boss. I was the one who said he wasn’t going to concede the election. I’ve done it.”
“Real Time with Bill Maher,” which debuted in 2003, centers on the comedian’s witty discussion of various political topics with a panel of guests.
After Maher shared his concerns about covering Trump’s upcoming presidency, Fonda suggested focusing on material that doesn’t revolve around the Republican politician.
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“The show is the politics,” Maher replied. “There’s no other thing, and he’s going to dominate the news like he always does.”
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Maher has been unflinching in his on-air criticisms of Trump, likening him to a “racist Paul Revere” in 2018 and calling him a “Russian agent” in 2019 for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When Fonda asked Maher why Trump is “so hostile” to late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, who’s also been critical of the President-elect, instead of him, Maher clarified, “He’s very hostile to me. He tweets about me every week.”
Maher has been a frequent target of Trump’s over the years, with Trump even suing the TV host in 2013 for remarks he made on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” in which Maher quipped that Trump is “the spawn of his mother having sex with an orangutan.”
Responding to Trump’s offer at the time to give $5 million to the charity of then-President Barack Obama’s choice if the president released his college paperwork, Maher said he would do the same if Trump supplied proof that he is not descended from an ape.
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Trump produced his New York birth certificate to Maher within two days of the “Tonight Show” interview, but Maher did not make the $5 million payment. Although Trump filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing breach of contract, he later withdrew his complaint.
Trump has also taken to social media to criticize Maher, calling him a “befuddled mess” in a September post on his social media platform Truth Social.
HBO reportedly renewed “Real Time with Bill Maher” for two additional seasons, according to Deadline, extending the series’ run through 2026.
Contributing: Sara M Moniuszko and Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
