Top 10 Reasons Why Bill Maher Is Hated

Following the September 11th attacks, the United States was in a somber mood, and people were careful not to disrespect the country’s newfound sense of unity through tragedy. Unfortunately, when Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” show came back on the air, he decided not to play along. During a discussion with his panel, the host made controversial statements about the courage it takes to carry out commit a suicide attack, while questioning the bravery or honor of American fighting methods overseas. After receiving complaints from viewers and advertisers, ABC cancelled the show in 2002.

In a 2009 episode of “Real Time,” upon hearing that Tila Tequila had allegedly been choked in a domestic dispute with her boyfriend at the time, Maher joked that the choking was inevitable. In 2008, while Hillary Clinton was running for president, Maher suggested Clinton cried to emotionally manipulate people and then went on to generalize that that was something women typically do. It’s not the fact that Maher goes after conservative republican politicians such as Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, but the gendered nature of his criticism which has invited accusations of sexism.

Over the years, Maher’s talk shows have attracted diverse guests from different backgrounds and political leanings, including some individuals we’d have preferred not hearing from. Ann Coulter has appeared on several of Bill Maher’s show - giving her the opportunity to spew her bigotry. Mahermay have hit a new low however, when he invited Breitbart tech editor and internet troll Milo Yiannopoulos to sit down for a chat. When Milo stepped down from Breitbart a few days after the interview, Maher even had the nerve to take credit, claiming it was because of the spotlight he put Yiannopoulos under. Of course, it was more likely because of the “Milo condones pedophilia” thing.

Political correctness is one of Maher’s favorite targets, as he believes society has taken the concept to an unreasonable extreme. However, it could be argued that Bill is the one who regularly takes things too far, given his propensity towards cheap shots that seem intentionally incendiary. The comedian has mocked the disabled on several occasions, such as when he compared “mentally retarded children” to dogs, and when he made fun of Sarah Palin’s son, who has down syndrome. Commenting on Mary Kay Letourneau, he suggested that it’s okay for adult teachers to have sex with underage students if their relationship is based on love. That’s one way to get your viewers talking.

Shock Jock tendencies aside, Maher clearly believes the majority of what he says, and seems frustrated that the world doesn’t agree with him across the board. When Maher holds discussions with his panels, he acts as if he has assembled a brain trust that is set to solve all of the world’s problems. In 2008, he released a documentary that satirized religion called “Religulous” because he felt it was his duty to enlighten the rest of us on the dangers of organized religion. Ironically, all he was really doing with his film was preaching to the converted.

Bill likes to go after people he considers to be agents of intolerance, yet he doesn’t seem to recognize that same intolerance within himself. He savagely attacks those he disagrees with, his favorite targets being Republicans and people of faith, particularly Muslims. Maher has a habit of making all muslims out to be extremists because he considers the dogma of their religion to be extreme. Of course, Maher gets help from his atheist friends Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, who come on his show and argue about what they consider to be Islam’s true intentions while making inflammatory statements about the religion. Curiously absent from most of these discussions? An actual supporter of Islam.

Not one to concede an argument, Maher has a developed a reputation for refusing to admit when he’s wrong. Should a particular argument stop going his way, he’s been known to get out of it as soon as possible. He also looks down on a whole variety of demographics whom he believes to have the wrong set of values, including millennials, residents of Middle America, or even his own audience if they don’t laugh at his jokes. Famed chef and personality Anthony Bourdain, when commenting on his experience as a guest on “Real Time,” called Maher “insufferably smug”, and claimed that the “Real Time” host “lives in a bubble.”

On many occasions, Maher has labeled his political leanings as Libertarian. However, that entails believing in limited government, which Bill does not. He supports gun control, strong bank regulations, and the death penalty - all issues any self respecting libertarian would despise. He also praises left wing politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who push policies that would not attract Libertarians. Many suspect that when Maher said he was libertarian, he just wanted marijuana and prostitution to be legalized. To his credit, Maher has stopped calling himself Libertarian in recent years. But really, it doesn’t seem like a change of heart so much as a change in his personal branding.

Maher has taken a lot of bold positions, and often, the groundwork he lays for them are flat out wrong. He has come out against GMOs and vaccines, which are commonly accepted in the mainstream and in the scientific community. When discussing complex policies, he oversimplifies the issues and forms opinions based on biased information. On numerous occasions, he has made generalizations only to have been corrected by a guest, who just so happens to be an expert of the subject being discussed. There’s politically incorrect, and then there’s factually incorrect.

In 2017, during an interview with Nebraska senator Ben Sasse, Maher felt the need to drop the “N-word.” Though the word was intended by Maher comedically in a self referential way, this controversial choice earned him far more flack than even he’s used to. There were many calls for him to be fired immediately. Perhaps Maher’s past history dating black women made him believe that he had unique insight into the African American experience, but if so… he was sorely mistaken. Nothing entitles a white person to use that word. Yes, he apologized, but an individual in his position has no excuse. It’s not like he didn’t know better.