Bill Maher Reveals Shocking Reason for His Decision to Retire
What To Know
- Bill Maher says he will not return to stand-up comedy due to fears of being targeted or shot by people from either side of the political divide in the U.S.
- He also cites fatigue from travel and competition with younger comedians, as well as his regular TV presence, as reasons for stepping away from live shows.
- Maher, known for his moderate views, has faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.
Bill Maher has revealed that the tense political divide in the United States is the reason he has decided to retire from stand-up comedy and live shows, noting that he fears he could be shot for his views.
Speaking with his guest, Patton Oswalt, on the most recent episode of Maher’s Club Random podcast, the 69-year-old Real Time host touched on his decision to retire from doing live comedy shows. “I feel like it was a great choice because I don’t want to be out there in this country in this political atmosphere,” he said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued, “I could get shot by the left or the right. It’s a good time to not be out there.”
Maher also shared other reasons for his disinterest in live comedy, noting how he’s “tired of the travel” and “tired of being twice as funny as people who were selling twice as many tickets as me.”
The comedian claimed the reason for not selling as many tickets as his contemporaries is “partly because I’m on TV every week,” and therefore, people have less incentive to come and watch him live.
“Not that I didn’t sell a lot of tickets and do great theaters, but I didn’t sell arenas, and some people did who frankly are not that great,” he explained. “But, you know, when the audience is 35 to 45, they don’t want to see somebody 70. I want to see my generation, and it’s okay. I still have my show. I have this. I didn’t need it. I miss it, but that’s part of what it is.”
Maher also spoke about his most recent HBO stand-up special, saying, “I feel like the last one was the best one, which is a good way to get off.”
The outspoken host is known for his “moderate” views and has drawn the ire of both Democrats and Republicans in recent months. Earlier this year, he was criticized by Democrats for meeting with Trump at the White House, after which he described the President as “gracious and measured.”
However, he has also been attacked by Republicans, most recently for speaking out against ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel back in September.
Maher’s latest comments come after the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September. At the time, Maher told his viewers that “both sides” are guilty of spreading toxicity.
Conversation44 Comments
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M
Very tiring to hear how democratic socialism is the scourge of our republic’s existence. How about we balance capitalism with socialism? When we have major weather crisis, FEMA helps out. When the auto industry crashed, the government helped out, saving jobs and the industry. When an epidemic raced through our country, the government provide vaccines, and national guard to help our citizens. When people can’t afford food, even while working for Walmart and Amazon, the government gave them SNAP. When Wall St and the banks crashed, the government helped them out.
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M
Those are the facts, but they are useless for those right-wing fanatics who live in the alternate facts universe.
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N
Did the government really help with all of those crises or did they create a gigantic bubble by delaying hard decisions for later by printing more inflationary dollars?
National Debt is now over 36 TRILLION dollars!!
All empires eventually collapse from printing fiat money and then what? The Hunger Games?
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G
Not to mention Democratic Socialism brought us child labor laws, work safety rules, and the weekend.
Assuming that Democratic Socialism is the same as Communist Socialism is like assuming Republicans are the same as the Republican Guard (Special Forces from Saddam Hussein's military)
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R
Henry Ford brought us the weekend
Then socialism in the USSR (which has a lot more in common with "democratic socialism" than Republicans do with Republican Guards, no matter what the useful idiots would like to propagandize) turned Saturdays into a day of unpaid "volunteer" hard labor (subbotnik)
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M
While there are many things that could be said about many of that. But, I will just pick out one. The people of Ashville, NC would love to have word with about the "Help" provided to the citizens by FEMA. You sometimes have to look at the man behind the curtain, and you, are buying everything fed to you without question.
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S
He's not afraid of getting shot, he's afraid no one will show up.
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R
Could be both.
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B
I think the next time Democrats win the White House and the Congress we should deny all financial help to red states, just like Trump has done with blue ones. They started it. Let's see how they like it. Especially since they are already the poorest and least able to support themselves. Biden sent the majority of funding for his major bill to red states. We have seen how the GOP returned the favor. We should not forget.
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R
You know, most years, Texas is the only Red state that always puts in more than it gets from the Fed. It varies, but most years, about 5-7 states make up the positive part of the budget.
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M
Bill is funny. His politics are too Left for me but I don't care when it comes to humor. I appreciate his humor.
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L
True, but he and Charlie Sheen were pretty asusing.
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F
Bill is funny. His politics are too right for me and I don't care for his humor.
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B
I doubt anyone cares enough about him to want to kill him.
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C
He's a big supporter of Israel, so he wouldn't meet the same fate as Charlie Kirk.
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Y
I'll bet you have felt this about yourself too.
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B
The information you received that the SNAP cutoff is 400% above the poverty level is incorrect for the standard federal guidelines.
For the vast majority of households, the federal gross monthly income limit is 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). In some limited cases, such as in states that use broad-based categorical eligibility, the gross income limit might go up to 185% or, in a few exceptions, up to 200% of the FPL. There are no states where the standard SNAP eligibility cutoff is 400% of the poverty level.
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G
If only his solar paneling was installed timely, he'd be less angry.
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T
I enjoy his TV show, but his comedy shows (only seen on TV) aren't that great.
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C
I like his TV show, but his podcast is absolutely brutal. He doesn't listen to his guests the more he gets wasted, and he just talks over everyone to make it all about himself.
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M
That is the curse of many comedians
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E
Likely why he's "retiring."
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G
Who cares?!?!
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R
I love Bill. He's human and not some perfect icon of one ideology. He's very thin-skinned and needs constant attention. He is also one of the few people who is willing to fight the powerful with the truth. Thanks to HBO for letting that happen.
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D
"Moderate" views? Is that what we're calling toadying capitulation nowadays?
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G
And CERTAINLY owes nothing to Henry Fod, an open supporter of Hitler and fascism in the US. As the granddaughter of an early Ford employee crippled for life and immediately fired, as well as part of the Detroit Ford family for decades, pretending that Ford was a friend of workers is insanity and utterly debunked by history.
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H
He has lost a lot of Democrats in recent years and he is very thinned skinned.
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G
Covid broke him, he just has not let it go and not been the same since.
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M
Or .. he's not funny
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G
Trump has increased the debt this high. I don’t think he see’s it as a problem, and has said that the tariff will bring in more money to fix it. But where is that money??? The debt just keeps going up with all his profligate spending, bread and circuses give-aways that even conservative economist don’t believe help people, and false promises for things like the ballroom—which Republicans in congress working with the White House have tried to get us to pay for. So much graft!!! The 2 billion a day war of choice, all the gold leafing remodeling of what should be our house and only his temporary home, his retribution campaigns which are morally wrong and that so far have been utter failures…. Too much to even mention. He is bankrupting us, as you say, with MAGA complicit in the whole thing. The Bush, Obama and Trump bail outs did at least help the economy at the time. Trump’s policies and actions are bankrupting us.
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G
We should all be so lucky...they still have democracy there!
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S
He became boring, redundant. Bye. Don't return.
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G
His "shootings are the best theatre money can buy...
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C
Don't let the door hit you on your way out...
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G
Like a TV multi-millionaire is in any danger. Get real.
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H
How much “help” did FEMA give to people in North Carolina when Dirty Joe Biden was president?
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Z
Oh God, here we go.."it's Joe Biden's fault, it's Joe Biden's fault! Boohoooo.
We have a MUCH MUCH bigger criminal in the White House now.
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N
Not much
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S
Bill Maher is a hack. He's yet another washed-up boomer desperately clinging to relevance, angry that the world has passed him by and has no need for his mediocre humor.
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P
Bill, will you be moving to Ireland also?
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B
Oh gee how sad (pfft)
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M
In the 2020's, Maher became an Evil Donnie Demento doppelganger. He and his HBO producers realized that courting the right wing brings them double the profits.
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L
Silly comment. But the purpose of a business is to make money.
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E
That IS true; however, it seems many businesses have become greedy, a good profit margin is no longer enough to satisfy the beast.
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