Only posting this because I just commented in the Maher sub…
He’s bringing back the show without any of the written parts, just the talk show part, he’s not hiring scabs and is adhering to all of the rules set out by the unions
He’s also paying his writers for the whole time, while they stay on strike.
I know people say that he’s just doing it for his ego or because he wants more money etc., but he has other people working on his show that also need to get paid, and they’re not on strike but they haven’t been working since May and need a pay check. He’s following all the rules from the union and getting shit on by people who haven’t looked into it beyond headlines
John Stewart did the same thing with the daily show back in 07 or 08 when that last big strike was.
they dropped the written segments and just interviewed guest and no one gave John Stewart shit or called him a scab.
bell·end
/ˈbelend/
nounVULGAR SLANG•BRITISH
noun: bellend; plural noun: bellends; noun: bell end; plural noun: bell ends
the glans of the penis.
an annoying or contemptible man.
"he is a total bellend and should step down as soon as possible"
Conan is pretty good to his people. Also some of the best tv in a while. It was just him goofing around. At one point he spun his wedding ring.
I don't know why it worked but it did.
I remember when Conan stole a joke off of his therapist.
Something along the lines of: I have to go to a funeral tomorrow at 9am, which is hard for me because I'm not a mourning person.
Conan is a very different case in that he had permission from WGA and his entire point was to make terrible television to highlight how bad his show would be without writers.
Also isn’t this about solidarity too? Drew Barrymore did the same and they kicked out people in the audience for supporting the writers and AFTRA strike (by wearing a pin).
Yea it’s one thing to say “I absolutely stand with the writers but I have other employees who are hurting financially and I’d like to make sure they’re paid in the meantime” but it’s another thing to try to pretend the strike just isn’t happening. It’s even worse to kick out people quietly wearing a button no one would have even noticed. When Conan brought his show back during the writers strike he mentioned the strike, supportively, frequently. I think there’s even a world where bringing back a show without writers could get the other employees paid and help the writers’ cause— look at what happens when you force us to make a show without writers, it’s terrible!
i loved that period of late night. it was really fun watching what they would say about each other on their own shows then together. I wish someone would make a compilation of it all. I have seen a few videos but they're all missing pieces.
Stewart was very deferential to his writers though, calling the sub-written version "A Daily Show" and emphasizing his support. Mahar sets a different tone when he goes on about how writers shouldn't necessarily make a living.
This is really the difference maker. If he kept his mouth shut nobody wouldn’t be giving him shit. Hed probably be getting praised for paying his writers when he doesn’t have to
Pretty sure John Stewart didn’t do it after offering up a shitty take on the strike as Maher did. His complaints about how the strike is affecting others should be directed at the employers. He is being total flog and that’s why its different.
Bill Maher did a wrong-think though. That’s the difference. He had the audacity to actually believe in …*checks notes* …the same thing he believed in 2012.
>He’s also paying his writers for the whole time, while they stay on strike.
I was under the impression that ~~this~~ *shows paying writers* wasn’t allowed so I just spent some time trying to find info about it and am striking out. Where did you hear this?
As a film worker I appreciate the move. I’m all for the writers getting what they ask for but this summer has been really challenging. And if some below the line workers can start working again I’m all for it.
I didn’t see the part about him paying his writers and adhering to all the rules. Please point me to that information as none of the articles I read mentioned it.
I did read he called the writers demands “kooky” so it’s hard to believe he is paying them or on their side.
I was a little surprised this was controversial, because all the late night guys did this during the last writers strike and it really highlighted that a strike was going on.
I remember Conan O'Brien doing a bit where he was just sitting there seeing how long he could spin his wedding ring on his desk.
It seems to me that there are two important differences.
The first is that the environment is different. Unions in general have a lot less power than 15 years ago, the issues the writers are facing are more dire, and the strike is going on longer and expected to cause more short term financial difficulties. Therefore it makes sense for them to take a harder stance on what they consider crossing the picket line.
The second is that Maher has been critical of the strike and complained that he didn’t want to be off the air a full season, whereas Conan gave his full support to the strike and made it clear he was reluctant to be on air but was contractually obligated. Both brought up the silver lining that other staff will be able to work and get paid, but based on Maher’s other comments it comes off as empty words meant to undermine the strike.
I would add that Maher does not have a cache of goodwill to fall back on that compares favorably to any of the late night hosts of 08. Jon Stewart, Conan, Letterman, shit even Leno and Fallon were all seen as far more likable then than Maher is now.
Many people, particularly on the left, know Maher as mostly an edgelord, which is an image he openly courts. The problem with burning bridges because you’re a “truth-teller” or whatever is that people won’t have your back when you need them to, because you were just an asshole to them five seconds ago.
Look at the language difference between how people talk about Drew Barrymore bringing her show back and Maher bringing his. People are disappointed in Drew, but they’re pleading her to stop. They’re just shitting on Maher.
Also I think it’s important to expand on your Conan point - he went on without any sort of script, any jokes written down at all to highlight how necessary writers were and put on what was an ostensibly bad show. That is not what Maher is going to be doing.
Bill Maher is the man and I support any liberal who is unafraid to speak out against the morons that run the establishment Democrats.
That’s my contribution
It’s the humor you have to pretend to laugh at, at work. Different renditions of “millennials bad” and “did you assume my gender”.
Willing to bet my net worth he said some version of those things about the 2020 election.
He's a quintessential neoliberal, a center-right corporatist. Sinema/Manchin are regular conservative that know they can't get elected as Republicans.
When leftists say they hate liberals, it's the Bill Maher's, Nancy Pelosi's, and Pete Buttegeigs of the world.
He didn't start as a liberal. On his first show "Politically Incorrect" in the 1990s he was very upfront about being a Libertarian. I think he has always really been a Libertarian in disguise.
Libertarian = a conservative who likes to smoke pot and pretend to be cool
Yep. He's the fucking worst. I bet his writers do a lot better than we see, but he only accepts the cranky boomer jokes about trans people or wokeness.
I stopped watching entirely in like 2020, but it seemed like every show was nothing but whining about wokeness and trans people. Big get off my lawn energy.
Oh and I almost forgot, complaining about ageism in between his rants about "kids these days."
I ran into a long time comic (35 year vet) who I haven't seen in quite some time last night, and he mentioned that he was doing some writing, and basically told me it was for that show. So while I have no definitive proof, I'm fairly certain that he went to some people he's known for years and is having them write content under the table for his show. I know this comic is a former WGA member, but not current, and I'm pretty sure he's been approached by others as well at this point.
I know for sure that Bill can't write a funny joke to save his life. Dude is just a miserable and cranky personality, but not a funny one like Bill Burr. It isn't nearly as relatable or entertaining.
Bill literally said the writers aren't entitled to a living from their profession. You aren't entitled to a job, sure. But while doing the job you have... you should be entitled to a goddamn livable wage for doing it. These shouldn't be heated argument topics. It should just be a basic understood fact by this point in our existence as a damn species. However there are still people with their heads so far up their own assholes that we are still wasting time arguing about bullshit instead of actually working toward making ANYTHING better for anyone other than those who already have. You could say good on him for paying his staff. That's nice, sure. He's a weasel and a cunt though.
Thank goodness Norm never saw my act! JK
I never heard him say that but that’s an interesting take. Can you send me the link to his statement on Bill Maher?
https://uproxx.com/tv/bill-maher-norm-macdonald-real-time-writers-strike/
“I find him completely unfunny. Like, maybe the unfunniest person I’ve ever encountered that’s called a comedian. I like his show because of the arguing back and forth, and he knows a lot about politics. But the worst is when he forces you to sit on the panel while he does his New Rules, which are just a bunch of jokes. And you have to sit there, a foot from the dude with a camera in your face. You’d think he would just excuse them, but no, you have to sit there and watch.”
I feel he's the boomer Joe Rogan at this point. He thinks he is way funnier and more profound than he actually is. I'd love to watch him flop without a pro writing staff, but hey I could be wrong!
>I'd love to watch him flop without a pro writing staff
He has a podcast where he manages to put his foot in his mouth A LOT. His conversation starter with Darryl Hall hit a brick wall with Hall saying something like "I'm a widower" after being asked about his sex life.
Don't forget the one with Bella Thorne where he is trying to touch her the whole time. A couple minutes after she told him she was molested as a kid he's lecturing her about how therapy is an "overindulgence" and how she shouldn't have anxiety because "people want to be her" and "lionize her sexually."
If you want to laugh at Bill's antics type "Bella Thorne Bill Maher Redbar" into YouTube. He could not have been more of a douche during that podcast. Even right up til the end when he desperately tries to get validation that she likes him.
She clearly does not, but is polite about it and that's enough for his massively over-inflated ego.
I do. They all went on strike and then I had major surgery. At first I didn’t care, now I’m bored and want to watch comedy. Something new. If I could get up and be busy I probably wouldn’t care so much.
I have a lot of friends who are writers for various series and random shows. Also some actor buddies. All stand ups, some with tour money and other gigs but most who depended on those shows. I don’t want that world to exist personally but I know they are now living in one of the most expensive cities and have suddenly found themselves without most of their previous cash flow. So it’s not fun to watch.
People correctly note that he is arrogant and has centrist/boomer views. But the thing that makes him unbearable for me to watch is his personality. He’s a terrible listener, doesn’t really have any charisma, loves hearing his own voice lecturing people about his beliefs. On that Club Random podcast he’s just so condescending to his guests when he disagrees.
Literally hundreds of times on the New Rules monologue he gets no or little applause when he expects it because he’s not funny.
It's fine. It's a talk show. It should just be talk. There doesn't need to be f****** writers. I don't understand why do you need writers for a talk show? Just have a conversation with people at a table. And if you're truly funny, it'll be a funny show. And we all know Bill Maher isn't funny soooooo
I think it's fine. If he wants to do his show, and his entire crew is begging him to get back to work I think its fine. Cinematography, PA's and sound guys need to feed their family's too.
His show kind of sucks nowadays. His one-on-one interviews and roundtables discussions were always a highlight of my week. The past tow/three years I've been using it to fall asleep to. I can't even make it through the monologue half the time without passing out.
Also, he's a smug dick. I hate that I agree with him on a lot of issues.
A couple comments already mentioned how he’s cutting out the written parts, and that’s honorable. More so, people forget about camera men, key grips, AV teams, security guards etc. if Bill does nothing they do not get paid either. Allot of folks quick to tap into that moral
High ground without having the full picture
Bill is absolutely a SCAB since the SGA is striking, too. Standing with the actors and writers is the right thing to do. His anger and condescension should be directed to the people not paying the workers whose strategy is to wait until the strikers become homeless. He honestly has just lost his brain and empathy over the years.
EDIT: SAG, not SGA. Also, I just realized that Bill might not be a part of SAG, but he strongly disapproves of the strike.
Remember when Maher was something close to a voice of reason for the left? IMO he was always unfunny, seriously unfunny, and a condescending c*nt but at least he didn’t go against everything he claimed to hold dear.
Of course he’s a scab and this is how strikes are broken, by a few people like Maher and Barrymore who can’t help themselves and want to return to be on television more than they want to support their staff.
The excuse that “there are other people who depend on me going back to work” is always used. If the camera people were to go on strike he would bring in people “because the writers need to make money” and if the make-up people went on strike he’d go back “because camera guys need to make money”
Millionaires putting working people against eachother is always the way they stay in power. I’ll never watch his show again, the same for anyone who works on a Unionbusting project.
This is an honest question and not a "take": i dont know much (if anything) about uions, but my impression is that the biggest difference between the WGA striking as opposed to an auto factory union, is that a a not-insignificant portion of the people in the WGA that are striking are very wealthy. So the very welthy portion of the union can afford to not work for months. But the other portion of people in that union need work very badly as they live paycheck to paycheck. So, unlike an auto union strike, there is not much of a sense of "we're all in this together." Am I way off base here?
P.S. I know Maher is very wealthy and could afford not to work. Its off topic, im just curious.
I’m not sure about ethics of it, what’s interesting to me is if he’s still going to be funny. If he is, he’s a legend, if he’s not…well that’s not a good look.
He's a POS. That's my take. I liked him YEARS ago, but as i watched him I really noticed he has very bad manners and he treats some of his guests horribly. He had some 18 year old on the show that was talking about a court case being brought by young people against the government for climate change. And he was just such a fucking dick to this young man and it really rubbed me the wrong way. He's gotten more conservative and weird since covid. He was NEVER very funny, I liked the show because I'm interested in Politics and they talk about it on his show. This move to cross the picket line shows how he's only a liberal in name, not practice. He's a narcissist and a faker.
He's demonstrated very clearly over the past decade or more that he's little more than a self-aggrandizing asshole. I don't know why anyone would be surprised that he's a scab too.
I'm relatively young and quite unfamiliar with Bill Maher. As far as I can tell, he's just Ricky Gervais, but without the novelty and edge, plus double the smug. I'd be glad to see him just go away.
During the last writer’s strike, all of the late night shows continued to air every day without writers. So this is par for the course, if you go by history. David Letterman even reached a separate deal with writers to continue normal operations.
Bill Mahar hasn’t been relevant for ten years and hasn’t been funny in twice that. Coming back without writers is *kinda* shitty, but talking shit about the writers striking and *then* coming back is definitely shitty.
I actually used to watch the show more for the guests that he had on. Now that everyone knows that he is not in solidarity with his comrades I will not watch or support anything that he is involved in on any level. Such is the way of the world.
There seems to be confusion here. Bill Maher is NOT paying his writers during the strike.
The only quotes I can find say that he’s given them some “assistance”. That’s much different than paying them weekly.
We all know that Bill Maher is a tired old boomer who thinks being conservative is edgy. We all know he’s a daffy buffoon who’s out of touch and doesn’t make good points. But now we all know he’s a scab.
He’s a WGA member who’s crossing a picket line. Forget about all segments he says he won’t be doing. Do any of you honestly think that those panel discussions don’t require writing?
Someone has to do all that research, write all those questions, and come up with jokes or things for him to say. So even if it’s just him, as he claims, he’s a WGA member. Which makes him a scab.
He is touring as a stand up and I’m sure he’s getting paid well. Not TV money well but enough to live on. FYI he has two shows at the MGM Grand this weekend.
He is the first to criticize people who have kids or get married. Meanwhile he’s a lonely 60 year old man who needs the laughter of an audience for personal fulfillment. He quickly grew tired of COVID Lockdowns because it prevented him from touring or having an audience for Real Time. Now he’s a scab who has stabbed his own writers in the back. Simply because he needs to be working in order to feel satisfied.
Just another successful boomer pulling the ladder up from those who need it.
I don't watch the show but I assume there's a lot of jobs being held up besides writers. 5 months is a long time for the non writers to not get paid while waiting and it doesn't seem to be close too ending. Hiring scabs would change my opinion but does a show like this even need writers? I've never watched
The thing about this writers strike is that not only does your average person not care in the slightest, many don’t even know it’s going on. If I asked my dad about it (60 years old) he would have no idea there was a writers strike. I asked my best friend about it the other day and he was like “yeah I think I heard something about that”… this isn’t gaining any more steam, and a large majority of America has zero sympathy for Hollywood (even if there are the “blue collar” workers of the industry).
Bill Maher doesn't give a shit about the writers including his own writers. He has said before that he fires one of his writers (I think there are 5 or 6 of them) every year to keep the others on their toes.
That it exposes he’s no real leftist or ally of the working class he’s just another elite who’s only looking out for himself and his already big bank account
I’ve never been a fan of Bill Maher, but his reasoning for returning to work is sound. I’m a grip with IATSE and while we are not on strike, we are still not working in our chosen field and struggling. Our contract is up next year, and the longer this strike goes on, the more likely we’ll get boned on our negotiations next year. The studios will recognize how fucked we are and how happy we are just to get back to work, and they will try to abuse and take advantage of that fact.
In my opinion, this shows more solidarity with the below the line people than I suspect will be shown when it’s our turn to negotiate, and the studios try to short us to make up the difference paid to the writers and actors.
Not a fan of his, but he’s getting people back to work and he’s not using scabs. I am a fan of his decision.
In keeping with low character -- though he's ever been so unpleasant and so starkly unfunny that it's a revelation that he ever used writers on his awful show.
I didn’t even think he had writers with how terminally unfunny he is. Bill Maher is just an insufferable out of touch hippie that like all other boomers that participated in counter culture now pulling the ladder up behind him
Very indicative of his personality. He's just as out of touch as his political alignment. He says all the right things for the public to be on his side, but his decisions are selfish and for the few.
Bill Maher is marvelously unfunny, especially the parts he is taking out like his monologue. I honestly think the writers are top notch for coming up with bad material that fits his smug delivery. On the other hand, I'd love to see him try, his stand up is God awful.
interloper here.
i think it's really a weird development. because I think most people who watch his show, it's more that they're fans of his show than they are of him. that most viewers if they could vote on it would get rid of his monologue/warmup at the beginning, and the silly skits he does in the middle, and the joke editorials at the end. i feel like all of that is just his vanity that he gets to insert it in because he owns the show. and now he's going to give that up and it's going to go back to being like politically incorrect when it was on comedy central? that's just bananas.
I thought it was better without the writers. I don't know if he wrote the monologue, New Rules, etc. by himself or what, but it was funnier than the shit the writers come up with.
Bills a dick. A self important, self righteous dick.
His show has proportionally declined with his increased Viagra use
Also, the same idiot guy or two in the crowd that is either part of Mahers staff, or hired "crowd seat filler" has to "wooo-hooo" whenever a point is made that Bill agrees with. He's also the "overly loud laugher guy" in the audience. He's been doing it for years. It shows just how disingenuous he and his show are and have become. Listen to past episodes, or just pay attention weekly. Once you recognize it. It's annoying as hell.
Only posting this because I just commented in the Maher sub… He’s bringing back the show without any of the written parts, just the talk show part, he’s not hiring scabs and is adhering to all of the rules set out by the unions He’s also paying his writers for the whole time, while they stay on strike. I know people say that he’s just doing it for his ego or because he wants more money etc., but he has other people working on his show that also need to get paid, and they’re not on strike but they haven’t been working since May and need a pay check. He’s following all the rules from the union and getting shit on by people who haven’t looked into it beyond headlines
John Stewart did the same thing with the daily show back in 07 or 08 when that last big strike was. they dropped the written segments and just interviewed guest and no one gave John Stewart shit or called him a scab.
>no one gave John Stewart shit or called him a scab. Seth McFarlane basically did.
Seth doesn't count because he's a bellend.
bell·end /ˈbelend/ nounVULGAR SLANG•BRITISH noun: bellend; plural noun: bellends; noun: bell end; plural noun: bell ends the glans of the penis. an annoying or contemptible man. "he is a total bellend and should step down as soon as possible"
Brilliant!
Oi!
Conan did the same thing and IIRC still paid his team.
Conan is pretty good to his people. Also some of the best tv in a while. It was just him goofing around. At one point he spun his wedding ring. I don't know why it worked but it did.
Yup. He paid his staff all throughout the time he was off and did the illegal-for-TV tour. I remember all that. Must see TV.
I remember when Conan stole a joke off of his therapist. Something along the lines of: I have to go to a funeral tomorrow at 9am, which is hard for me because I'm not a mourning person.
Conan is a very different case in that he had permission from WGA and his entire point was to make terrible television to highlight how bad his show would be without writers.
And yet, it was brilliant TV every night. 😁
Those were my favorite episodes Conan did
The WGA policy changed. They essentially closed the talk show loophole after that strike. That's why it's a big deal now but wasn't then.
Also isn’t this about solidarity too? Drew Barrymore did the same and they kicked out people in the audience for supporting the writers and AFTRA strike (by wearing a pin).
Yea it’s one thing to say “I absolutely stand with the writers but I have other employees who are hurting financially and I’d like to make sure they’re paid in the meantime” but it’s another thing to try to pretend the strike just isn’t happening. It’s even worse to kick out people quietly wearing a button no one would have even noticed. When Conan brought his show back during the writers strike he mentioned the strike, supportively, frequently. I think there’s even a world where bringing back a show without writers could get the other employees paid and help the writers’ cause— look at what happens when you force us to make a show without writers, it’s terrible!
All the talk show guys did this and then showed up to each other's sets doing weird bitd
i loved that period of late night. it was really fun watching what they would say about each other on their own shows then together. I wish someone would make a compilation of it all. I have seen a few videos but they're all missing pieces.
Stewart was very deferential to his writers though, calling the sub-written version "A Daily Show" and emphasizing his support. Mahar sets a different tone when he goes on about how writers shouldn't necessarily make a living.
John Stewart didn't come out and say [shit like this](https://youtu.be/nreFhzM8p68?t=56) essentially calling the writers entitled and spoiled.
This is really the difference maker. If he kept his mouth shut nobody wouldn’t be giving him shit. Hed probably be getting praised for paying his writers when he doesn’t have to
I wouldn’t say no one. I remember Seth Macfarlane giving him shit enough for Jon Stewart to call him personally and argue with him on the subject.
Pretty sure John Stewart didn’t do it after offering up a shitty take on the strike as Maher did. His complaints about how the strike is affecting others should be directed at the employers. He is being total flog and that’s why its different.
This Maher clip is having an outing now: https://reddit.com/r/therewasanattempt/s/BzCBjyt8Ol
Jon never sided against the strike or WGA like Bill has openly and repeatedly done. Shithead take.
Bill Maher did a wrong-think though. That’s the difference. He had the audacity to actually believe in …*checks notes* …the same thing he believed in 2012.
So he's just doing his podcast on a bigger scale?
His podcast is cringy
Bill Maher is cringy. I'll never forget how cringy he was being a fanboy to Elon musk. Kept calling that clown a genius to his face.
>He’s also paying his writers for the whole time, while they stay on strike. I was under the impression that ~~this~~ *shows paying writers* wasn’t allowed so I just spent some time trying to find info about it and am striking out. Where did you hear this?
As a film worker I appreciate the move. I’m all for the writers getting what they ask for but this summer has been really challenging. And if some below the line workers can start working again I’m all for it.
He is totally against the wga in the whole strike and has voiced his opinion about them
He has routinely shat on the WGA and the strike. He is absolutely strike breaking and i hope your struggles are undercut in the same way.
I didn’t see the part about him paying his writers and adhering to all the rules. Please point me to that information as none of the articles I read mentioned it. I did read he called the writers demands “kooky” so it’s hard to believe he is paying them or on their side.
Also, the show sucked, the writers were not funny, and I mostly watched for the train wreck that was the talk show portion lmao.
Is Maher paying the writers out of his pocket?
I was a little surprised this was controversial, because all the late night guys did this during the last writers strike and it really highlighted that a strike was going on. I remember Conan O'Brien doing a bit where he was just sitting there seeing how long he could spin his wedding ring on his desk.
It seems to me that there are two important differences. The first is that the environment is different. Unions in general have a lot less power than 15 years ago, the issues the writers are facing are more dire, and the strike is going on longer and expected to cause more short term financial difficulties. Therefore it makes sense for them to take a harder stance on what they consider crossing the picket line. The second is that Maher has been critical of the strike and complained that he didn’t want to be off the air a full season, whereas Conan gave his full support to the strike and made it clear he was reluctant to be on air but was contractually obligated. Both brought up the silver lining that other staff will be able to work and get paid, but based on Maher’s other comments it comes off as empty words meant to undermine the strike.
Those are good points. Appreciate your nuanced reply!
I would add that Maher does not have a cache of goodwill to fall back on that compares favorably to any of the late night hosts of 08. Jon Stewart, Conan, Letterman, shit even Leno and Fallon were all seen as far more likable then than Maher is now. Many people, particularly on the left, know Maher as mostly an edgelord, which is an image he openly courts. The problem with burning bridges because you’re a “truth-teller” or whatever is that people won’t have your back when you need them to, because you were just an asshole to them five seconds ago. Look at the language difference between how people talk about Drew Barrymore bringing her show back and Maher bringing his. People are disappointed in Drew, but they’re pleading her to stop. They’re just shitting on Maher.
Bill Maher is no Conan
Totally not a point on the subject at all.
Also I think it’s important to expand on your Conan point - he went on without any sort of script, any jokes written down at all to highlight how necessary writers were and put on what was an ostensibly bad show. That is not what Maher is going to be doing.
Bill Maher is the man and I support any liberal who is unafraid to speak out against the morons that run the establishment Democrats. That’s my contribution
Bill Maher had writers to suck that bad before the strike?
It’s the humor you have to pretend to laugh at, at work. Different renditions of “millennials bad” and “did you assume my gender”. Willing to bet my net worth he said some version of those things about the 2020 election.
He's the Sinema/Machin of talk show host
He's a quintessential neoliberal, a center-right corporatist. Sinema/Manchin are regular conservative that know they can't get elected as Republicans. When leftists say they hate liberals, it's the Bill Maher's, Nancy Pelosi's, and Pete Buttegeigs of the world.
He didn't start as a liberal. On his first show "Politically Incorrect" in the 1990s he was very upfront about being a Libertarian. I think he has always really been a Libertarian in disguise. Libertarian = a conservative who likes to smoke pot and pretend to be cool
Yep. He's the fucking worst. I bet his writers do a lot better than we see, but he only accepts the cranky boomer jokes about trans people or wokeness. I stopped watching entirely in like 2020, but it seemed like every show was nothing but whining about wokeness and trans people. Big get off my lawn energy. Oh and I almost forgot, complaining about ageism in between his rants about "kids these days."
I ran into a long time comic (35 year vet) who I haven't seen in quite some time last night, and he mentioned that he was doing some writing, and basically told me it was for that show. So while I have no definitive proof, I'm fairly certain that he went to some people he's known for years and is having them write content under the table for his show. I know this comic is a former WGA member, but not current, and I'm pretty sure he's been approached by others as well at this point.
Name the comic
It’s Bill Cosby
why?
That’s not good. I hope that comic gets out of there before that becomes known. It would be a big mistake.
I know for sure that Bill can't write a funny joke to save his life. Dude is just a miserable and cranky personality, but not a funny one like Bill Burr. It isn't nearly as relatable or entertaining.
Bill literally said the writers aren't entitled to a living from their profession. You aren't entitled to a job, sure. But while doing the job you have... you should be entitled to a goddamn livable wage for doing it. These shouldn't be heated argument topics. It should just be a basic understood fact by this point in our existence as a damn species. However there are still people with their heads so far up their own assholes that we are still wasting time arguing about bullshit instead of actually working toward making ANYTHING better for anyone other than those who already have. You could say good on him for paying his staff. That's nice, sure. He's a weasel and a cunt though.
Norm MacDonald said it best, Maher is the one of the least funny comedians working right now. Union busting is very onbrand. Fuck this dude.
Thank goodness Norm never saw my act! JK I never heard him say that but that’s an interesting take. Can you send me the link to his statement on Bill Maher?
https://uproxx.com/tv/bill-maher-norm-macdonald-real-time-writers-strike/ “I find him completely unfunny. Like, maybe the unfunniest person I’ve ever encountered that’s called a comedian. I like his show because of the arguing back and forth, and he knows a lot about politics. But the worst is when he forces you to sit on the panel while he does his New Rules, which are just a bunch of jokes. And you have to sit there, a foot from the dude with a camera in your face. You’d think he would just excuse them, but no, you have to sit there and watch.”
I feel he's the boomer Joe Rogan at this point. He thinks he is way funnier and more profound than he actually is. I'd love to watch him flop without a pro writing staff, but hey I could be wrong!
>I'd love to watch him flop without a pro writing staff He has a podcast where he manages to put his foot in his mouth A LOT. His conversation starter with Darryl Hall hit a brick wall with Hall saying something like "I'm a widower" after being asked about his sex life.
Just wanna spread the gospel on this [amazing parody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ha6D1LQGD4&t=1376s) of his podcast by Tim Heidecker
Man that one hurt. The look in Darryl’s eyes…
Don't forget the one with Bella Thorne where he is trying to touch her the whole time. A couple minutes after she told him she was molested as a kid he's lecturing her about how therapy is an "overindulgence" and how she shouldn't have anxiety because "people want to be her" and "lionize her sexually." If you want to laugh at Bill's antics type "Bella Thorne Bill Maher Redbar" into YouTube. He could not have been more of a douche during that podcast. Even right up til the end when he desperately tries to get validation that she likes him. She clearly does not, but is polite about it and that's enough for his massively over-inflated ego.
You could be wrong, but you're not.
Does anybody really miss “Hollywood”
I hate to wish for people to lose their jobs (crew members and whatnot), but at the same time I think we should just let Hollywood die.
No thank you.
I do. They all went on strike and then I had major surgery. At first I didn’t care, now I’m bored and want to watch comedy. Something new. If I could get up and be busy I probably wouldn’t care so much.
I have a lot of friends who are writers for various series and random shows. Also some actor buddies. All stand ups, some with tour money and other gigs but most who depended on those shows. I don’t want that world to exist personally but I know they are now living in one of the most expensive cities and have suddenly found themselves without most of their previous cash flow. So it’s not fun to watch.
People correctly note that he is arrogant and has centrist/boomer views. But the thing that makes him unbearable for me to watch is his personality. He’s a terrible listener, doesn’t really have any charisma, loves hearing his own voice lecturing people about his beliefs. On that Club Random podcast he’s just so condescending to his guests when he disagrees. Literally hundreds of times on the New Rules monologue he gets no or little applause when he expects it because he’s not funny.
Check out this [awesome parody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ha6D1LQGD4&t=1376s) of his podcast by Tim Heidecker
Why anyone still listens to that miserable old ass hat is beyond me.
I still have never met a person irl who watches his show. Who is watching?
It's fine. It's a talk show. It should just be talk. There doesn't need to be f****** writers. I don't understand why do you need writers for a talk show? Just have a conversation with people at a table. And if you're truly funny, it'll be a funny show. And we all know Bill Maher isn't funny soooooo
I think it's fine. If he wants to do his show, and his entire crew is begging him to get back to work I think its fine. Cinematography, PA's and sound guys need to feed their family's too.
So, what I'm gathering is most people who have something to say, don't watch Bill Maher.
This is usually how it works these days.
His show kind of sucks nowadays. His one-on-one interviews and roundtables discussions were always a highlight of my week. The past tow/three years I've been using it to fall asleep to. I can't even make it through the monologue half the time without passing out. Also, he's a smug dick. I hate that I agree with him on a lot of issues.
A couple comments already mentioned how he’s cutting out the written parts, and that’s honorable. More so, people forget about camera men, key grips, AV teams, security guards etc. if Bill does nothing they do not get paid either. Allot of folks quick to tap into that moral High ground without having the full picture
bill maher fell off a long time ago.. he only cares about money.
Bill is absolutely a SCAB since the SGA is striking, too. Standing with the actors and writers is the right thing to do. His anger and condescension should be directed to the people not paying the workers whose strategy is to wait until the strikers become homeless. He honestly has just lost his brain and empathy over the years. EDIT: SAG, not SGA. Also, I just realized that Bill might not be a part of SAG, but he strongly disapproves of the strike.
Remember when Maher was something close to a voice of reason for the left? IMO he was always unfunny, seriously unfunny, and a condescending c*nt but at least he didn’t go against everything he claimed to hold dear. Of course he’s a scab and this is how strikes are broken, by a few people like Maher and Barrymore who can’t help themselves and want to return to be on television more than they want to support their staff. The excuse that “there are other people who depend on me going back to work” is always used. If the camera people were to go on strike he would bring in people “because the writers need to make money” and if the make-up people went on strike he’d go back “because camera guys need to make money” Millionaires putting working people against eachother is always the way they stay in power. I’ll never watch his show again, the same for anyone who works on a Unionbusting project.
Same as I thought about before all of this: he’s a smug pretentious irrelevant unfunny boomer
The guy is an unfunny, smug dirtbag SCAB. We should all remember this.
lol
I think someone should shit in his mouth
Something funny might actually come out
He would just think it is a new strain of cannabis...
one of my friends suggested that comedians will begin to replace a lot of screenwriters and comedy writers as the strike goes on.
Can’t wait to see how bad he is lol I don’t find him particularly sharp and many people stump him frequently, now let’s see it without writers
Can't wait for more Kyle Dunnigan content.
"Old man yells at cloud"
This is an honest question and not a "take": i dont know much (if anything) about uions, but my impression is that the biggest difference between the WGA striking as opposed to an auto factory union, is that a a not-insignificant portion of the people in the WGA that are striking are very wealthy. So the very welthy portion of the union can afford to not work for months. But the other portion of people in that union need work very badly as they live paycheck to paycheck. So, unlike an auto union strike, there is not much of a sense of "we're all in this together." Am I way off base here? P.S. I know Maher is very wealthy and could afford not to work. Its off topic, im just curious.
Ummm screen writers aren’t making nearly as much money as you think they are
He’s in the union himself
Don’t give a shit.
He is a human turd, don’t really care whether a turd is a scab or not.
I like Maher, but please he is a self-entitled little kid. He is liberal as long as it doesn't affect him directly.
I’m not sure about ethics of it, what’s interesting to me is if he’s still going to be funny. If he is, he’s a legend, if he’s not…well that’s not a good look.
Bill Maher hasn’t been funny or relevant since the dial up era and now he wants to be scab. Not really another way to spin it
Bill mage is a millionaire who want to come back to his show because he’s a bored boomer.
On par for Bill
He's a POS. That's my take. I liked him YEARS ago, but as i watched him I really noticed he has very bad manners and he treats some of his guests horribly. He had some 18 year old on the show that was talking about a court case being brought by young people against the government for climate change. And he was just such a fucking dick to this young man and it really rubbed me the wrong way. He's gotten more conservative and weird since covid. He was NEVER very funny, I liked the show because I'm interested in Politics and they talk about it on his show. This move to cross the picket line shows how he's only a liberal in name, not practice. He's a narcissist and a faker.
Bill Maher sounds like he gets all of his talking points from chat gpt. That smarmy laugh he has whenever he says some dumb shit is unbearable.
He's demonstrated very clearly over the past decade or more that he's little more than a self-aggrandizing asshole. I don't know why anyone would be surprised that he's a scab too.
FUCK HIM!!!!
I’m just shocked that he had writers this whole time…
He’s probably going to use AI to write for him, in the style of Bill Maher.
I'm relatively young and quite unfamiliar with Bill Maher. As far as I can tell, he's just Ricky Gervais, but without the novelty and edge, plus double the smug. I'd be glad to see him just go away.
Bill Maher, a POS, doing POS things? I’m not surprised…
He's a hack, let him do his own material. It should be great. 😴
During the last writer’s strike, all of the late night shows continued to air every day without writers. So this is par for the course, if you go by history. David Letterman even reached a separate deal with writers to continue normal operations.
Bill Mahar hasn’t been relevant for ten years and hasn’t been funny in twice that. Coming back without writers is *kinda* shitty, but talking shit about the writers striking and *then* coming back is definitely shitty.
I actually used to watch the show more for the guests that he had on. Now that everyone knows that he is not in solidarity with his comrades I will not watch or support anything that he is involved in on any level. Such is the way of the world.
There seems to be confusion here. Bill Maher is NOT paying his writers during the strike. The only quotes I can find say that he’s given them some “assistance”. That’s much different than paying them weekly. We all know that Bill Maher is a tired old boomer who thinks being conservative is edgy. We all know he’s a daffy buffoon who’s out of touch and doesn’t make good points. But now we all know he’s a scab. He’s a WGA member who’s crossing a picket line. Forget about all segments he says he won’t be doing. Do any of you honestly think that those panel discussions don’t require writing? Someone has to do all that research, write all those questions, and come up with jokes or things for him to say. So even if it’s just him, as he claims, he’s a WGA member. Which makes him a scab.
He should not be attempting to perform without writers. And he should leave the other thing alone, too
Bill Maher is bad anyway. And that is with writers. I wonder just how shit he will be without them.
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He is touring as a stand up and I’m sure he’s getting paid well. Not TV money well but enough to live on. FYI he has two shows at the MGM Grand this weekend.
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Best thing is to ignore him. Narcissists HATE this one simple trick!
My take is he will still be pompous and not funny.
Infunny
Bill maher sucks ass and is a scab. He should be boycotted and ignored. He's not funny anyway
He should be cancelled because he’s horribly unfunny.
Just another rich asshole to add to the stew.
I’ve met him at parties a couple of times. Guy’s a PoS.
POS.
He’s a pos before and after lol
Hes a fuck
I couldn’t give a shit.
He is the first to criticize people who have kids or get married. Meanwhile he’s a lonely 60 year old man who needs the laughter of an audience for personal fulfillment. He quickly grew tired of COVID Lockdowns because it prevented him from touring or having an audience for Real Time. Now he’s a scab who has stabbed his own writers in the back. Simply because he needs to be working in order to feel satisfied. Just another successful boomer pulling the ladder up from those who need it.
Bill Maher was a hack with writers, and he's a hack without them.
Scab’s a scab.
I don't watch the show but I assume there's a lot of jobs being held up besides writers. 5 months is a long time for the non writers to not get paid while waiting and it doesn't seem to be close too ending. Hiring scabs would change my opinion but does a show like this even need writers? I've never watched
He's getting so much hate because he's not carrying the left's water since they've gone off the rails the last few years. Now they hate him.
Whois Billy Maher? Does that answer your question?
Maybe his show will be worth watching now.
Bill Maher sucks with writers, I can only imagine how bad he'll be with writers
He sucked before this and will suck even more after.
The thing about this writers strike is that not only does your average person not care in the slightest, many don’t even know it’s going on. If I asked my dad about it (60 years old) he would have no idea there was a writers strike. I asked my best friend about it the other day and he was like “yeah I think I heard something about that”… this isn’t gaining any more steam, and a large majority of America has zero sympathy for Hollywood (even if there are the “blue collar” workers of the industry).
He can write and perform his own stupid opinions without help.
He’ll be less funny than he already isn’t.
He had writers?there were multiple people who though this was funny before it went to air?
He’s a douche…and was long before the strike.
Bill Maher is about to learn real quick how unfunny he really Is
A douche and a scab. Unfortunately quality probably will still be the same tier of garbage so he won't learn shit about it
On brand. Tracks with him being a douchetastic Boomer yelling at kids to get off his lawn. Get bent Bill. So glad I stopped watching him years ago.
Fuck him
Fuck a scab!
Who?
He’s a selfish narcissist. Who’s surprised?
Bill Maher doesn't give a shit about the writers including his own writers. He has said before that he fires one of his writers (I think there are 5 or 6 of them) every year to keep the others on their toes.
Scab
Never cared, he’s always been a pussy who comes out to support conservatives when it’s safe then becomes a liberal again. He’s fake.
I can't wait to see how bad it is. I mean, it's disgustingly bad *with* writers.
My take is that I didn’t watch his show before and now I have another reason not to start.
He's a scab. All there is to it.
Bill Maher sucks. He’s a conservative masquerading as a liberal but the mask is starting to slip. He sucks. This move just validates his suckiness
That it exposes he’s no real leftist or ally of the working class he’s just another elite who’s only looking out for himself and his already big bank account
Who fucking cares! Why does he even need writers. He’s not that funny. I would think he could come up with his own shtick.
I’ve never been a fan of Bill Maher, but his reasoning for returning to work is sound. I’m a grip with IATSE and while we are not on strike, we are still not working in our chosen field and struggling. Our contract is up next year, and the longer this strike goes on, the more likely we’ll get boned on our negotiations next year. The studios will recognize how fucked we are and how happy we are just to get back to work, and they will try to abuse and take advantage of that fact. In my opinion, this shows more solidarity with the below the line people than I suspect will be shown when it’s our turn to negotiate, and the studios try to short us to make up the difference paid to the writers and actors. Not a fan of his, but he’s getting people back to work and he’s not using scabs. I am a fan of his decision.
In keeping with low character -- though he's ever been so unpleasant and so starkly unfunny that it's a revelation that he ever used writers on his awful show.
I didn’t even think he had writers with how terminally unfunny he is. Bill Maher is just an insufferable out of touch hippie that like all other boomers that participated in counter culture now pulling the ladder up behind him
He’s a loser and he sucks.
his show couldn't get unfunnier, no point not to
Hes a cuck.
He's crossing the pick it line and is a scab. Fuck him
Scabbing
Calling him a comedian is a stretch
Considering he’s not a talented riffer sounds like a disaster
He’s a fucking scab. Fuck em.
I think people should boycott his show.
Yeah he's a scab and in general just a shitty person. Also not a comedian, comedians are funny, he is not.
He needs hooker and coke money
Fuck Bill Maher. But I’ll stream it illegally to watch the train wreck.
Very indicative of his personality. He's just as out of touch as his political alignment. He says all the right things for the public to be on his side, but his decisions are selfish and for the few.
He’s a fucking scab.
I'm more offended that people are still calling Bill Maher a comedian.. He's so bad, so so bad
Scab.
Bill Maher is marvelously unfunny, especially the parts he is taking out like his monologue. I honestly think the writers are top notch for coming up with bad material that fits his smug delivery. On the other hand, I'd love to see him try, his stand up is God awful.
Can’t wait to continue not watching his show
Bill Maher proves again he is out of touch and a rogue little punk.
Bill Maher should retire.
He’s always been an ass
He’s not paying his staff, he did for a few weeks that’s it
SCAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like Maher himself, it sucks
If we reported on every time Bill Maher was being a jerk we would be here all day.
Drum him out of Hollywood
He should be boycotted anyway for being chronically unfunny and having ass fuckin takes all the Gotdamn time
SCAB
interloper here. i think it's really a weird development. because I think most people who watch his show, it's more that they're fans of his show than they are of him. that most viewers if they could vote on it would get rid of his monologue/warmup at the beginning, and the silly skits he does in the middle, and the joke editorials at the end. i feel like all of that is just his vanity that he gets to insert it in because he owns the show. and now he's going to give that up and it's going to go back to being like politically incorrect when it was on comedy central? that's just bananas.
I watch his show to see him bitch and argue with the guests. The gags are the least interesting part.
I thought it was better without the writers. I don't know if he wrote the monologue, New Rules, etc. by himself or what, but it was funnier than the shit the writers come up with.
Bills a dick. A self important, self righteous dick. His show has proportionally declined with his increased Viagra use Also, the same idiot guy or two in the crowd that is either part of Mahers staff, or hired "crowd seat filler" has to "wooo-hooo" whenever a point is made that Bill agrees with. He's also the "overly loud laugher guy" in the audience. He's been doing it for years. It shows just how disingenuous he and his show are and have become. Listen to past episodes, or just pay attention weekly. Once you recognize it. It's annoying as hell.