Bill Maher was set to become the first, and only, late-night host to come back to TV despite the ongoing writer’s strike. He had publicly undermined and insulted his writers recently, and scoffed at the idea that they should be able to make a living by writing. His show, Real Time With Bill Maher, was going to return without writers and in a slightly different fashion. It was going to just consist of a panel segment, no monologue, and no “new rules” segment. But it appears that will no longer be the case.
Maher tweeted on Friday that he would not be returning right now. In a rather odd tweet, he wrote, “My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike. Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”
So he still thinks writers don’t deserve a living wage? I am confused. One user responded to him by saying, “So basically you couldn’t find celebrities willing to break strike to be on your show?” I have to admit, I chuckled a little. But Maher has continued to align himself with angry white people who seem annoyed any time someone other than themselves demands some form of justice or equity. So he probably could have found C-list (and lower) “celebrities” to show up.
The disingenuousness of Maher’s tweet is so obvious. Did he really change course because the trajectory of the strike is different now? Or did he change course because people going back to work are receiving public ridicule? Hmmmm, I wonder. Maher is an arrogant prick, but he isn’t totally stupid. He has railed against ‘cancel culture’ in recent years but I guess he is at least somewhat fearful of public backlash—enough to make a blatant 180.
It would also be a lot easier to celebrate him for reversing course if he weren’t so flippant in his tweet, though that is so much of his personality now. “Nothing was happening” is a weird justification for his choice to actively break the ongoing strikes. This is a fight for workers’ rights, you can either be patient and support them or you can face the ire of the entire internet.
(featured image: Matt Winkelmeyer/VF20/WireImage)
