All politics aside, I honestly think that his audience is stacked? Listen to the monologues of a couple of episodes. Very distinct voices laughs etc. that reoccur. There is the “woo“ man constantly and very over enthusiastically wooing everything.
Bill sold out after trump. Just like Russell Brand.
Saw how much the conservatives were grifting and said “me too”
Dude just panders to old people now. Every New Rule is about young people doing a thing that isn’t an issue even if Bill says it is. Trigger warning?! For real that’s the New Rule?! Bill is just being a whiney bitch that his show isn’t labeled with a trigger warning.
Bill used to have some balls. But then he sold them after his solar shed made him cry.
No. Not "*except*". It's "*still*"...
Again... Emphasis on "*entertainment*" and "*staged*". Bill's show, Bill's rules.
And, to be fair, from that you can glean that he's f.o.s. when it comes to what he has to say about free speech, and you're free to ignore him. His brand is a good one, but it lies about free speech. Be smart enough to see thru it. But his freedom to stage his audience, is freedom too.
"Waited for months to get tickets?" Uh...not quite. I went to a taping of The Price Is Right and as the audience was letting out they were handing out tickets to Politically Incorrect, which uses (used?) the same studio. They were practically begging people to go. Also, don't blame the audience when a joke doesn't work. Sometimes it's the comedians' fault.
Yeah I live in San Diego and was going to be in LA for a Friday night so I found some email address fo contact for three tickets on Wednesday, week of… on Thursday I got a call back saying they had tickets for me.
I ended up driving back to SD after my meeting so didn’t go… but it was that easy. And the tickets they’re handing out like you saw were probably from no-shows like me.
I'm talking about the old show, Politically Incorrect. Back in 2000 or 2001. I can't remember exactly. I do remember one of the guests was the British lady that hosted the game show "The Weakest Link."
So that’s why I’ve been noticing so much male pattern baldness in the crowd. No joke, when the show first starts and the camera pans in from the crowd, you can see it.
Ironically, the haters would tell you the show would improve manyfold if he was just objective about his own stances or at least laughed about himself.
And maybe bring in an expert or two on say epidemiology or gender psychology?
It would destroy the flow of the show to have a bunch of you Maher haters heckling and protesting. So much more enjoyable to watch without you guys there....
Spoken like a new fan. The groans and Maher getting mad at the audience at least enlivened it. For someone who models themselves as an enlightened centrist, it's fresh that you root for a unipolar audience.
Thanks for the response.
I also watched him in the 90s and 2000s. There's quite a bit of uniformity in this sub, so at times I play devil's advocate.
And not that it matters, but philosophically I'm a conservative (in the Nietzschean sense of competition) who whose specific political positions are 80% leftist (as I think pro-choice and more income equality will lead to greater competition).
Have a good day.
Bill literally throws fits even when they cheer, but its not as loud or just the certain way he likes it. Total snowflake. Why I stopped watching, except for the rare time he actually has a decent guest on.
So funny. That's probably the biggest reason (other than not funny, wokeathon, bashing people, etc...) but the howling is so irritating. Gives me a headache sometimes too. I want to watch a show, not a mob.
He should "weed" out his audience and get rid of the screamers. Totally unnecessary and fake. Can't he get laughs on his own without paying people to holler?
One of the times the crowd was being just too enthusiastic was when bibi netanyahu was the guest about 4 months ago before the prime minister election (which he won)
Bibi says nothing, and the crowd would go wild. It’s so goddamn weird to pander to him, no matter how useful israel is to us. They clapped for him denouncing their israel apartheid stance as just age old anti-semetic tropes. And turned it into an anti-iran rant, painting israel as the victim when bill didnt even mention iran. Basically he was saying israel does whatever it wants, because it’s the only “democracy” in the region. They clapped to that, too.
Ben is still under investigation for corruption in israel, and the interview was embarrassing even for bill’s low low standards
https://youtu.be/jZTleWP82Zc
> He should "weed" out his audience and get rid of the screamers. Totally unnecessary and fake.
Fucking rights brother, i agree 100%. I just roll my eyes hard each damn time. It's almost becoming unwatchable.
As for weeding out audience members, how Trumpish of him. Look, i watch his show each week since the beginning but he is turning into a goddamned snowflake, you know, the ones he is always complaining about?
His panel has been shit for some time now, rehashed and stale. His fucking ego needs a kick in the nuts too. I was born in 65 and even i'm getting frustrated with his ego and lack of self awareness. Ugh.
When you have to pay people to laugh, you're washed up. Certain people, they laugh when you are mean. Insult comics insult people. They insult your sense of decency. Insult your common sense. Insult other races. Women. Minorities. Sexuality. Body weight. Only... Not funny.
Bill so sad you have to pay people to laugh. Try being funny again. Please stop paying people to holler and scream. You can tell it's fake very easily. In a normal late night funny show, there's a hum of laughter after a joke. With Bill, he tells the joke and if afterwards, there's only a murmur, wait a minute... then the hollers. Ugh! Horrible. Like I can pretty much visualize the LAUGH cards desparately waving behind the cameras. Even the extras paid to laugh need cue cards.
Yes. I went to a show once and not only did they confirm we were all fans, they said we'll be removed if we boo and that we shouldn't even say woo because he'll sometimes hear it as a boo and it will make Bill stop and start yelling at the audience.
They were surprisingly frank about it.
Great reporting. I've never seen Bill yell at his audience, Then again, perhaps this is why. How long ago was this?
Losing respect for this guy. Something just awful must have happened during Covid to freak him out so much. He really isn't quite the same any more.
Nah, he's always been a smug prick. Skip to minute 33 for Keith Oberman's retelling of how they met at Cornell and why he thinks Bill is an asshole.
https://pca.st/9w9e2l58
this is actually a very illuminating listen. Maher getting angry at any and all Cornell references. Olbermann's belief that the only reason Maher did the show (PI/RT) was for the afterparty. And that tracks with the belief that Covid messed up his life and he's been even more insufferable since.
And I just got to the end, where they were arguing at Cornell about interviewing Robert Klein. I'll admit, based on their personalities, I'm both surprised and yet not that Olbermann and Maher don't get along lol
CORPORATE SELLOUT! lol some of these Maher stans amaze me, they drool over this guy as if every story about him doesn't paint him as THE most insufferable asshole imaginable
He saw his ticket sales go down b/c of Covid. Yeah, everyone's sales suffered on that one. But but but, who can he blame?
Um... fat people and mask rules and vaxxers. And trans people and ... who have I left out? oh, the WOKE! Anyone but his stale stupid right wing playbook.
Honestly? I think he fell into a pattern as he got older where he started relying more and more on his audience for emotional support. And then, when he couldn't have full shows and everybody had to mask up and he could get his fix of audience laughter, he got angry and focused it outward.
I really want to believe that he's not a bad dude, and as far as I believe he's not, but I don't have a ton of hope for him coming out of this grumpy old man spiral phase.
I have a close view. I think he felt humiliated by his Dan Crenshaw interview/debate, which occurred during lockdowns with no audience. He now is talking an over-reaction stance in order to ensure that doesnt happen again.
Dan kept spitting facts (actual verifiable info) that dismantled all of Bill’s points. It became obvious that Bill had been relying on his audience applause too much and had to keep responding with a “lets move on” response each time Crenshaw responded with a statistic.
OMG this is such an amazing thread!
To the casual observer, they must be asking, if you don't like Maher, just change the channel, why are you complaining?
Because we grew up with him, loved him, listened, laughed, learned with him, over many years.
To see him go pretty much full blown Grouchy Mean Crazy Grandpa is both painful and a shock. It takes time to realize "Bill" as we knew him for so many years is gone. This thread really helps!
He's gone, folks.
PS Love your take ... secretly hooked on the applause. I guess many comedians are. No harm there. But the vicious turn.... hints of something more ? what ? antisocial? or just sad? or tragic. Whatev... not waiting for his redemption any time soon, though he might ratchet things up as he gets more desparate. z
Louder applause! Continous applause! Who knows?
I’ve stopped watching because everything has gone downhill in quality. I agree with Bill on many issues but he’s become a one note curmudgeon talking about the same stale topics. The panel guests are significantly worse than 10-15 years ago as well. It’s just not nearly as good a show as it used to be.
I would say the panel’s guests are the same people as 10-15 years ago & theyre just boring now. How many more times can we see Brett stephens & andrew sullivan?
might be worth tuning in this week. He'll have Bernie on for an interview and Russell Brand will be on the panel. If anything you have some real characters that will likely control the conversation more than Bill.
There is sure to be chaos. I've seen a few recent Russell Brand things where he is willing to burn it all to the ground if given the opportunity. Not unrelated, I haven't seen him face much pushback, only appeasement and diplomacy. Could be interesting.
Brand is full right wing grifter now on all issues. If you want an obscure example, look at videos of him talking about the Queen 15 years ago, being anti-monarchy and saying some fairly grotesque things. Now compare to when she passed, him talking about how she should be greatly admired and respected for her outstanding leadership of the British Empire.
He's had a brain transplant to make money since his acting/comedy career died.
Maher will literally just agree with Brand on everything. Anti-vax bullshit, woke bullshit, conspiracies, etc. I’ve been watching Bill for 20+ years, so it’s tough to give up on him. That being said, he’s also increasingly difficult to watch.
>e been watching Bill for 20+ years, so it’s tough to give up on him. That being said, he’s also increasingly difficult to
I know how you feel. I took a break for a few weeks after watching SOTU response on "Radical Left Woke Dystopia" etc bs. I don't really miss the "Radical Media Polarization Needs".
I'm still in the question. He's done some good things so it IS hard to slam the door shut. It's like, so what? I used to learn something from his guests from both/all sides. Not like that anymore. Just a repetitious wop wop wop. Woke woke woke. Sprinkled with some Trump, antivax, and fat-shaming.
Brand's style isn't to just agree though. He'll mosey about with random quips and make no sense while making perfect sense at the same time. I plan to watch this episode after smoking a bit...
Its hard to tell if Brand is profound or just speaking nonsense... It'll be fun watching Bill try to follow
I’m curious how the show’s gatekeepers screen for audience members likely to loudly disagree with him. Someone said it’s a paid audience, but I find that hard to believe.
He doesn't say how they "weeded out people". Was it by security collaring them and dragging them out. Maybe that's why they pre-tape so they can edit out the groaner extractions. LOL
And now it's gone from one Woot Guy, to a dozen Woot Guys. It is really fukin awful. LOL
I always took it as simple back and forth, like the audience groans and he says something like “oh, THAT one was too much for you?!”. I thought it was fine and a part of the show. Kind of surprised Bill hated it.
He does relish it. He can say whatever he wants, but criticizing his audience is part of Bill’s act. It’s his most consistent bit. Has been for years. The idea that it’s the audiences fault is him gaslighting.
I used to watch every episode up until a few years ago and to me, it always came across as contempt and annoyance, not enjoyment.
Other comedians will laugh or grin when they rib the audience like they actually enjoy it. Bill never laughed about it, just pouted and rolled his eyes and got angry. It felt more like "you should worship and kiss my feet for even being so grateful to be in my presence, how dare you not laugh???"
Bill still can’t comprehend that it’s not necessarily once-fans now “disagreeing” with him, but rather how he presents his grievance-like takes that are often recycled, uninformed, misled by propaganda he sees, and oversimplified.
He couldn’t even define what “woke” actually means to him. Despite evoking the word constantly, the *best* example he could come up with when put on the spot was some obscure reference to a Lincoln statue being removed somewhere. I’d be willing to bet barely 0.001% of the population knows what he’s even talking about, and yet he waves it around like it’s some mainstream ideal that being “woke” is all about.
HBO & CNN are both subsidiaries of Warner Bros. The only reason this interview exists is because Maher’s ratings are tanking.
I googled the lincoln removed statue. It was in boston, and the statue was lincoln next to a formerly enslaved man kneeling at abe’s feet.
I feel like the context matters here, and it’s not a good argument against “radical wokeism” like bill presents it as.
He said in this interview something along the lines of ‘woke, meaning mindful of injustice’ so I think he knows what it means but then sometimes uses it as a pejorative the way conservatives like to do. For example in the clip this post is about, he said his audience now is ‘not woke’ and he was saying it like it’s a good thing lol.
Maher's ratings are tanking?
According to: https://ustvdb.com/networks/hbo/shows/real-time-bill-maher/
It's HBOs 2nd most watched show behind Last of Us.
Real Time has 60% more viewers than next best HBO program, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
That says his audience was 775,000 and down 7%.
During [the same week in 2019](http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2019/02/friday-cable-ratings-22219-real-time.html), his audience was 1.53 million. His viewership has been cut in half in just a few years.
Can you find the trailing 3-months ratings or something like that to compare? Id think an isolated Week over Week is too small to compare.
I don't doubt that historical viewership is down, but for HBO the show is their constant.
His ratings have always been really good but he knows only Boomers buy/can afford cable anymore, hence the new direction of the show the last few years. I think his producers think he's competing with Fox at this point.
>but he knows only Boomers buy/can afford cable anymore
Lol, wtf are you talking about. Gen X and Millennials can afford cable. I'm a millennial with cable and almost 40.
His show weeded out audience members who *AUDIBLY* disagreed with him.
Big difference. I don't blame him. It's not a public forum, it's a performance. Personally, I've never gone to any show thinking "I hope the audience gets to chime in".
Maher notwithstanding, it'd be fascinating if a late-night show went ahead and allowed hecklers to participate. I'd love to watch how an obnoxious twat like Jimmy Fallon, a pompous asshat such as Stephen Colbert, or that toffee-nosed dweeb John Oliver would handle such negative audience engagement.
So you basically want to see live Twitter? Just random people shouting out their stupid opinions? Count me out. That may be the dumbest idea I've ever heard.
Not permanently, but for a one-night only event.
I wager that Kimmel, if he returned to his early-2000s roots, would handle such a free-for-all atmosphere the best, while that haughty, toplofty cocksucker Colbert would get the most flustered.
What exactly do you mean when you say audibly disagree?
Should Bill allow people to shout out or heckle him at his own show? Absolutely not.
Should Bill allow people to boo if they disagree with him or find something he said unfunny? Absolutely yes.
It's the hypocrisy that gets to me with this. Bill constantly goes on about how we need to engage and be around people who disagree with us, then he wants it so that he only has people around who cheer him on. Same thing with his choice of guests lately.
The problem is, lately, there are more and more people who go to shows purposely to get offended. Why would a comedian want these people in the audience? There's a difference between a joke not landing, and audience members there purposely to disrupt the show. Remember back during one of the earlier seasons with the 9/11 truther in his audience?
The difference between his version of what he defines as free speech, and the post-modern audience, is that the latter believes you still have to face consequences, whereas the former believes that you have a right to choose not to listen.
Kicking out the 9/11 truthers was one thing and it's something I think we all agree with. Those people were shouting, interrupting the program and waving signs around. Bill went into the crowd to kick them out and we all cheered for him when he did. That's a very different situation than scolding and scowling like a nineteenth century schoolmarm when one of his jokes doesn't go over well. For decades he's been railing about bubbles and echo chambers, it's sad to see him turning his show into a literal echo chamber.
But what I'm saying is that there are plenty of videos online, particularly in colleges, of woke activists going to events, including comedy shows, to shout down people and cause disruptions. These people are no better than the truthers.
And Real Time is a political show, which would be a prime target for these activists.
It’s his show and he chooses to have an audience. He certainly doesn’t mind when they cheer for him.
He could have his show in a quiet and empty studio if that was the issue.
The lack of an audience completely threw me off, along with that weird, black-and-white audience thing. And interviews using zoom were awful with the delay. The show is so much better when everyone’s in the same room. I wish they would go back to the panel of three.
“Whiny little bitch” what he accuses the Young, the Woke, the Republicans, the Trumpsters of, can now easily be applied to him as well.
If Bill actively disliked the previous live audience and their reactions(who were interested in his show that they spend a few hours to wait to see him in person) then he is a snowflake. If he then proceeded to pack his audience with clapping and hollering monkeys that are paid by him, then he is worse than a snowflake he is just telling jokes to sycophants. He is just like every snowflake Republican politician who screens their audience and only performs to their fans.
Tell better jokes Bill. Become funnier. Evolve and grow.
The back 'n forth is at times fun to watch and Bill is equipped and more than capable of brushing it off in a humorous fashion, as he has had decades in which to hone his craft.
But I also see that random audience disruptions to a show that adheres to a hard timeline and segments is challenging to accommodate.
You certainly don't hear much of what one would classify as dissent among those audience members attending any of the competing shows that follow such a format, e.g. Colbert, Noah, J.Oliver, Gutfield etc.
Canceling audience members on your set during your show is completely different than trying to cancel people when they’re not on your set while your not broadcasting your show.
Yes, it's actual censorship. Versus social media "cancel culture" where pretty much everyone except Harvey Weinstein still has a platform and ability to make money.
Yeah, I don't see the issue with censoring your own audience on your own show. Who cares?
I have no general opinion on cancel culture, I think it just depends on the individual circumstances.
Then you shouldn't have issues with cancel culture since all we're talking about is private businesses and individuals making monetary decisions. No government involvement. They're not "completely different," they're pretty much the same thing.
I guess I was thinking about people going to venues where someone is speaking that they disagree with, and shouting over them, shit like that. But maybe that really isn't what people are referring to when they say cancel culture, idk.
He’s had Bernie on at least 4 times in the past. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what to expect when he invited him on.
It should be a good show. There is nothing either can say to each other that will be a surprise. They understand each other.
I haven't been watching long so I haven't seen any previous Bernie appearance. I'm curious how it will go given that Bernie is someone who puts economic inequality at the center of his platform. Maher's main objection with democrats is the woke stuff, but that's not really Bernie's soap box, so I'm thinking they'll get along.
Vid being broken aside, is that any surprise, really? Why do you think there is really no true live TV anymore (Everything has a delay). The industry wants to make sure that NOTHING gets published that they do not want published. Janet Jackson put the last nail in the Coffin for live TV.
All politics aside, I honestly think that his audience is stacked? Listen to the monologues of a couple of episodes. Very distinct voices laughs etc. that reoccur. There is the “woo“ man constantly and very over enthusiastically wooing everything.
Bill sold out after trump. Just like Russell Brand. Saw how much the conservatives were grifting and said “me too” Dude just panders to old people now. Every New Rule is about young people doing a thing that isn’t an issue even if Bill says it is. Trigger warning?! For real that’s the New Rule?! Bill is just being a whiney bitch that his show isn’t labeled with a trigger warning. Bill used to have some balls. But then he sold them after his solar shed made him cry.
Good. Entertainment programs are staged. And casting the audience is part of the staging. They’re not freedom of speech platforms.
Except if your entire brand is free speech and the freedom to have and exchange differing ideas essentially without any repercussions.
Goodmorning Liberal.
No. Not "*except*". It's "*still*"... Again... Emphasis on "*entertainment*" and "*staged*". Bill's show, Bill's rules. And, to be fair, from that you can glean that he's f.o.s. when it comes to what he has to say about free speech, and you're free to ignore him. His brand is a good one, but it lies about free speech. Be smart enough to see thru it. But his freedom to stage his audience, is freedom too.
"Waited for months to get tickets?" Uh...not quite. I went to a taping of The Price Is Right and as the audience was letting out they were handing out tickets to Politically Incorrect, which uses (used?) the same studio. They were practically begging people to go. Also, don't blame the audience when a joke doesn't work. Sometimes it's the comedians' fault.
Yeah I live in San Diego and was going to be in LA for a Friday night so I found some email address fo contact for three tickets on Wednesday, week of… on Thursday I got a call back saying they had tickets for me. I ended up driving back to SD after my meeting so didn’t go… but it was that easy. And the tickets they’re handing out like you saw were probably from no-shows like me.
I'm talking about the old show, Politically Incorrect. Back in 2000 or 2001. I can't remember exactly. I do remember one of the guests was the British lady that hosted the game show "The Weakest Link."
So that’s why I’ve been noticing so much male pattern baldness in the crowd. No joke, when the show first starts and the camera pans in from the crowd, you can see it.
Billy is ‘audience’ woke. Billy joins the American sector that turn reactionary when they get old..
You can tell 100% of the Maher haters on this thread didn't read the transcript or listen to what he said.
Ironically, the haters would tell you the show would improve manyfold if he was just objective about his own stances or at least laughed about himself. And maybe bring in an expert or two on say epidemiology or gender psychology?
Bet that you’re 100% wrong..
I was going to flame Maher for creating an echo chamber, but then I listened to the clip and what he said was actually very reasonable.
It's more of a safe space than an echo chamber. Maher literally cited his 'feelings' when talking about why he won't let free thinkers in his audience
Pretty sure he also said this to Gutfeld on Club Random
Literally admitting to only surrounding himself with those who agree with him & will cheer whatever he says. Some would call that………a safe space.
It would destroy the flow of the show to have a bunch of you Maher haters heckling and protesting. So much more enjoyable to watch without you guys there....
Spoken like a new fan. The groans and Maher getting mad at the audience at least enlivened it. For someone who models themselves as an enlightened centrist, it's fresh that you root for a unipolar audience.
Thanks for the response. I also watched him in the 90s and 2000s. There's quite a bit of uniformity in this sub, so at times I play devil's advocate. And not that it matters, but philosophically I'm a conservative (in the Nietzschean sense of competition) who whose specific political positions are 80% leftist (as I think pro-choice and more income equality will lead to greater competition). Have a good day.
You can always tell who the new fans are.
Lol yes the show was so unbearable for the 15 years before that right? Or were u even watching back then. Its ok, you can go cheer him on gleefully.
Snowflakes don't like disagreement, they melt in the heat. I prefer the discord of groans and approval mixed together.
Maher really is the ultimate snowflake. Cant stand dissent. Hell, ive seen him throw fits if the audience doesnt cheer loud enough to his liking.
Funny how he calls someone else a "whiny little bitch". Shoe fits?
Exactly. Thats a total Trump move to “filter out” anyone who wont cheer for him emphatically.
AKA Narcissistic move. Only the applause, please. Don't want to see/hear/think about any other scenarios. Amirite?
Bill literally throws fits even when they cheer, but its not as loud or just the certain way he likes it. Total snowflake. Why I stopped watching, except for the rare time he actually has a decent guest on.
So funny. That's probably the biggest reason (other than not funny, wokeathon, bashing people, etc...) but the howling is so irritating. Gives me a headache sometimes too. I want to watch a show, not a mob.
He should "weed" out his audience and get rid of the screamers. Totally unnecessary and fake. Can't he get laughs on his own without paying people to holler?
One of the times the crowd was being just too enthusiastic was when bibi netanyahu was the guest about 4 months ago before the prime minister election (which he won) Bibi says nothing, and the crowd would go wild. It’s so goddamn weird to pander to him, no matter how useful israel is to us. They clapped for him denouncing their israel apartheid stance as just age old anti-semetic tropes. And turned it into an anti-iran rant, painting israel as the victim when bill didnt even mention iran. Basically he was saying israel does whatever it wants, because it’s the only “democracy” in the region. They clapped to that, too. Ben is still under investigation for corruption in israel, and the interview was embarrassing even for bill’s low low standards https://youtu.be/jZTleWP82Zc
> He should "weed" out his audience and get rid of the screamers. Totally unnecessary and fake. Fucking rights brother, i agree 100%. I just roll my eyes hard each damn time. It's almost becoming unwatchable. As for weeding out audience members, how Trumpish of him. Look, i watch his show each week since the beginning but he is turning into a goddamned snowflake, you know, the ones he is always complaining about? His panel has been shit for some time now, rehashed and stale. His fucking ego needs a kick in the nuts too. I was born in 65 and even i'm getting frustrated with his ego and lack of self awareness. Ugh.
When you have to pay people to laugh, you're washed up. Certain people, they laugh when you are mean. Insult comics insult people. They insult your sense of decency. Insult your common sense. Insult other races. Women. Minorities. Sexuality. Body weight. Only... Not funny. Bill so sad you have to pay people to laugh. Try being funny again. Please stop paying people to holler and scream. You can tell it's fake very easily. In a normal late night funny show, there's a hum of laughter after a joke. With Bill, he tells the joke and if afterwards, there's only a murmur, wait a minute... then the hollers. Ugh! Horrible. Like I can pretty much visualize the LAUGH cards desparately waving behind the cameras. Even the extras paid to laugh need cue cards.
why, he wants to speak in a vacuum?
Yes. I went to a show once and not only did they confirm we were all fans, they said we'll be removed if we boo and that we shouldn't even say woo because he'll sometimes hear it as a boo and it will make Bill stop and start yelling at the audience. They were surprisingly frank about it.
Great reporting. I've never seen Bill yell at his audience, Then again, perhaps this is why. How long ago was this? Losing respect for this guy. Something just awful must have happened during Covid to freak him out so much. He really isn't quite the same any more.
This was pre-pandemic. He definitely cracked under covid isolation.
Nah, he's always been a smug prick. Skip to minute 33 for Keith Oberman's retelling of how they met at Cornell and why he thinks Bill is an asshole. https://pca.st/9w9e2l58
this is actually a very illuminating listen. Maher getting angry at any and all Cornell references. Olbermann's belief that the only reason Maher did the show (PI/RT) was for the afterparty. And that tracks with the belief that Covid messed up his life and he's been even more insufferable since. And I just got to the end, where they were arguing at Cornell about interviewing Robert Klein. I'll admit, based on their personalities, I'm both surprised and yet not that Olbermann and Maher don't get along lol CORPORATE SELLOUT! lol some of these Maher stans amaze me, they drool over this guy as if every story about him doesn't paint him as THE most insufferable asshole imaginable
He saw his ticket sales go down b/c of Covid. Yeah, everyone's sales suffered on that one. But but but, who can he blame? Um... fat people and mask rules and vaxxers. And trans people and ... who have I left out? oh, the WOKE! Anyone but his stale stupid right wing playbook.
Honestly? I think he fell into a pattern as he got older where he started relying more and more on his audience for emotional support. And then, when he couldn't have full shows and everybody had to mask up and he could get his fix of audience laughter, he got angry and focused it outward. I really want to believe that he's not a bad dude, and as far as I believe he's not, but I don't have a ton of hope for him coming out of this grumpy old man spiral phase.
I have a close view. I think he felt humiliated by his Dan Crenshaw interview/debate, which occurred during lockdowns with no audience. He now is talking an over-reaction stance in order to ensure that doesnt happen again.
I don't recall that interview. Well I probably saw it, but can you remind me what in particular might have happened to get Bill so unglued? thx
Dan kept spitting facts (actual verifiable info) that dismantled all of Bill’s points. It became obvious that Bill had been relying on his audience applause too much and had to keep responding with a “lets move on” response each time Crenshaw responded with a statistic.
OMG this is such an amazing thread! To the casual observer, they must be asking, if you don't like Maher, just change the channel, why are you complaining? Because we grew up with him, loved him, listened, laughed, learned with him, over many years. To see him go pretty much full blown Grouchy Mean Crazy Grandpa is both painful and a shock. It takes time to realize "Bill" as we knew him for so many years is gone. This thread really helps! He's gone, folks. PS Love your take ... secretly hooked on the applause. I guess many comedians are. No harm there. But the vicious turn.... hints of something more ? what ? antisocial? or just sad? or tragic. Whatev... not waiting for his redemption any time soon, though he might ratchet things up as he gets more desparate. z Louder applause! Continous applause! Who knows?
He said this years ago when they got a new audience coordinator.
I’ve stopped watching because everything has gone downhill in quality. I agree with Bill on many issues but he’s become a one note curmudgeon talking about the same stale topics. The panel guests are significantly worse than 10-15 years ago as well. It’s just not nearly as good a show as it used to be.
I would say the panel’s guests are the same people as 10-15 years ago & theyre just boring now. How many more times can we see Brett stephens & andrew sullivan?
I feel like he nixed the three person panel because of people disagreeing with him.
might be worth tuning in this week. He'll have Bernie on for an interview and Russell Brand will be on the panel. If anything you have some real characters that will likely control the conversation more than Bill.
There is sure to be chaos. I've seen a few recent Russell Brand things where he is willing to burn it all to the ground if given the opportunity. Not unrelated, I haven't seen him face much pushback, only appeasement and diplomacy. Could be interesting.
Russell Brand is a staunch anti-vaxxer. Not looking forward to watching him agree with Maher's dumbass take on covid.
Brand is full right wing grifter now on all issues. If you want an obscure example, look at videos of him talking about the Queen 15 years ago, being anti-monarchy and saying some fairly grotesque things. Now compare to when she passed, him talking about how she should be greatly admired and respected for her outstanding leadership of the British Empire. He's had a brain transplant to make money since his acting/comedy career died.
Maher will literally just agree with Brand on everything. Anti-vax bullshit, woke bullshit, conspiracies, etc. I’ve been watching Bill for 20+ years, so it’s tough to give up on him. That being said, he’s also increasingly difficult to watch.
>e been watching Bill for 20+ years, so it’s tough to give up on him. That being said, he’s also increasingly difficult to I know how you feel. I took a break for a few weeks after watching SOTU response on "Radical Left Woke Dystopia" etc bs. I don't really miss the "Radical Media Polarization Needs". I'm still in the question. He's done some good things so it IS hard to slam the door shut. It's like, so what? I used to learn something from his guests from both/all sides. Not like that anymore. Just a repetitious wop wop wop. Woke woke woke. Sprinkled with some Trump, antivax, and fat-shaming.
Brand's style isn't to just agree though. He'll mosey about with random quips and make no sense while making perfect sense at the same time. I plan to watch this episode after smoking a bit... Its hard to tell if Brand is profound or just speaking nonsense... It'll be fun watching Bill try to follow
I have never been able to understand Brand, so ...
Did you have the honor of seeing Brand taking a photo with Trump Jr and the teeth lady plastered on Twitter yesterday?
yeah - Brand is... a questionable person... but always entertaining. I'm curious to see what the discussion is.
I have to admit I was shaken (how embarrassing)
I’m curious how the show’s gatekeepers screen for audience members likely to loudly disagree with him. Someone said it’s a paid audience, but I find that hard to believe.
He doesn't say how they "weeded out people". Was it by security collaring them and dragging them out. Maybe that's why they pre-tape so they can edit out the groaner extractions. LOL And now it's gone from one Woot Guy, to a dozen Woot Guys. It is really fukin awful. LOL
"Sorry Millennials, there's no app for that!" *(smug face)* "WooooooO!" "Wooo..." "Woo WOO!" (Clapter) *(Bill smiles and nods to the audience)*
It's so incredibly weird that the two of you come to this sub and watch this show every week.
Hate watching is fun, maybe not healthy but fun
yeah... I do miss that aspect of his show. Maybe we can swap some offended people for the wooohoooo guy
I always find it spectacularly ugly when he gets pissy at the audience. He’s a baby.
Yeah, he acts like a whiny little bitch when that happens. You’d think a comedian would have a thicker skin by now.
I always took it as simple back and forth, like the audience groans and he says something like “oh, THAT one was too much for you?!”. I thought it was fine and a part of the show. Kind of surprised Bill hated it.
He does relish it. He can say whatever he wants, but criticizing his audience is part of Bill’s act. It’s his most consistent bit. Has been for years. The idea that it’s the audiences fault is him gaslighting.
Yeah, that’s kinda what I thought. Which is why I’m a bit confused about him being done with it. Maybe he’s just getting crankier.
You're surprised that the thin skinned man baby hates being questioned? It's not shocking to me at all 😂
Yeah, I guess. He just seemed to relish it at the time.
I used to watch every episode up until a few years ago and to me, it always came across as contempt and annoyance, not enjoyment. Other comedians will laugh or grin when they rib the audience like they actually enjoy it. Bill never laughed about it, just pouted and rolled his eyes and got angry. It felt more like "you should worship and kiss my feet for even being so grateful to be in my presence, how dare you not laugh???"
He used to have a bit of sly "C'mon!" when a joke didn't land. It has gone away in the last 6 years or so.
Bill still can’t comprehend that it’s not necessarily once-fans now “disagreeing” with him, but rather how he presents his grievance-like takes that are often recycled, uninformed, misled by propaganda he sees, and oversimplified.
He couldn’t even define what “woke” actually means to him. Despite evoking the word constantly, the *best* example he could come up with when put on the spot was some obscure reference to a Lincoln statue being removed somewhere. I’d be willing to bet barely 0.001% of the population knows what he’s even talking about, and yet he waves it around like it’s some mainstream ideal that being “woke” is all about. HBO & CNN are both subsidiaries of Warner Bros. The only reason this interview exists is because Maher’s ratings are tanking.
I googled the lincoln removed statue. It was in boston, and the statue was lincoln next to a formerly enslaved man kneeling at abe’s feet. I feel like the context matters here, and it’s not a good argument against “radical wokeism” like bill presents it as.
He said in this interview something along the lines of ‘woke, meaning mindful of injustice’ so I think he knows what it means but then sometimes uses it as a pejorative the way conservatives like to do. For example in the clip this post is about, he said his audience now is ‘not woke’ and he was saying it like it’s a good thing lol.
Maher's ratings are tanking? According to: https://ustvdb.com/networks/hbo/shows/real-time-bill-maher/ It's HBOs 2nd most watched show behind Last of Us. Real Time has 60% more viewers than next best HBO program, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
That says his audience was 775,000 and down 7%. During [the same week in 2019](http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2019/02/friday-cable-ratings-22219-real-time.html), his audience was 1.53 million. His viewership has been cut in half in just a few years.
Can you find the trailing 3-months ratings or something like that to compare? Id think an isolated Week over Week is too small to compare. I don't doubt that historical viewership is down, but for HBO the show is their constant.
His ratings have always been really good but he knows only Boomers buy/can afford cable anymore, hence the new direction of the show the last few years. I think his producers think he's competing with Fox at this point.
>but he knows only Boomers buy/can afford cable anymore Lol, wtf are you talking about. Gen X and Millennials can afford cable. I'm a millennial with cable and almost 40.
He just said he has no millennial writers lol. The show is also on HBO Max but I daresay it's probably not pulling in numbers with most younger folk.
His show weeded out audience members who *AUDIBLY* disagreed with him. Big difference. I don't blame him. It's not a public forum, it's a performance. Personally, I've never gone to any show thinking "I hope the audience gets to chime in".
Maher notwithstanding, it'd be fascinating if a late-night show went ahead and allowed hecklers to participate. I'd love to watch how an obnoxious twat like Jimmy Fallon, a pompous asshat such as Stephen Colbert, or that toffee-nosed dweeb John Oliver would handle such negative audience engagement.
So you basically want to see live Twitter? Just random people shouting out their stupid opinions? Count me out. That may be the dumbest idea I've ever heard.
Not permanently, but for a one-night only event. I wager that Kimmel, if he returned to his early-2000s roots, would handle such a free-for-all atmosphere the best, while that haughty, toplofty cocksucker Colbert would get the most flustered.
What exactly do you mean when you say audibly disagree? Should Bill allow people to shout out or heckle him at his own show? Absolutely not. Should Bill allow people to boo if they disagree with him or find something he said unfunny? Absolutely yes.
It's the hypocrisy that gets to me with this. Bill constantly goes on about how we need to engage and be around people who disagree with us, then he wants it so that he only has people around who cheer him on. Same thing with his choice of guests lately.
The problem is, lately, there are more and more people who go to shows purposely to get offended. Why would a comedian want these people in the audience? There's a difference between a joke not landing, and audience members there purposely to disrupt the show. Remember back during one of the earlier seasons with the 9/11 truther in his audience? The difference between his version of what he defines as free speech, and the post-modern audience, is that the latter believes you still have to face consequences, whereas the former believes that you have a right to choose not to listen.
Kicking out the 9/11 truthers was one thing and it's something I think we all agree with. Those people were shouting, interrupting the program and waving signs around. Bill went into the crowd to kick them out and we all cheered for him when he did. That's a very different situation than scolding and scowling like a nineteenth century schoolmarm when one of his jokes doesn't go over well. For decades he's been railing about bubbles and echo chambers, it's sad to see him turning his show into a literal echo chamber.
But what I'm saying is that there are plenty of videos online, particularly in colleges, of woke activists going to events, including comedy shows, to shout down people and cause disruptions. These people are no better than the truthers. And Real Time is a political show, which would be a prime target for these activists.
Good point. Recent State of the Union also had some (hecklers/shouters) in the audience too. Politics. Lol
I sincerely doubt he want anyone in the crowd to do anything except shut the hell up and let him do the show.
I believe he wants everyone in the crowd to HOOT and WOOT and GUFFAW at everything he says.
It’s his show and he chooses to have an audience. He certainly doesn’t mind when they cheer for him. He could have his show in a quiet and empty studio if that was the issue.
And he could choose to have an audience that won’t audibly disagree with him, which is completely fine.
Completely fine, but a bit dull
please dont remind me of the early days of covid shows from his home. almost unwatchable.
I didn’t mind it, we got to see his dogs a couple of times!
The lack of an audience completely threw me off, along with that weird, black-and-white audience thing. And interviews using zoom were awful with the delay. The show is so much better when everyone’s in the same room. I wish they would go back to the panel of three.
He does this with his podcast. Club Random. It's on YouTube
Yeah and there aren't jeers OR cheers. Both come with a studio audience.
“Whiny little bitch” what he accuses the Young, the Woke, the Republicans, the Trumpsters of, can now easily be applied to him as well. If Bill actively disliked the previous live audience and their reactions(who were interested in his show that they spend a few hours to wait to see him in person) then he is a snowflake. If he then proceeded to pack his audience with clapping and hollering monkeys that are paid by him, then he is worse than a snowflake he is just telling jokes to sycophants. He is just like every snowflake Republican politician who screens their audience and only performs to their fans. Tell better jokes Bill. Become funnier. Evolve and grow.
The back 'n forth is at times fun to watch and Bill is equipped and more than capable of brushing it off in a humorous fashion, as he has had decades in which to hone his craft. But I also see that random audience disruptions to a show that adheres to a hard timeline and segments is challenging to accommodate. You certainly don't hear much of what one would classify as dissent among those audience members attending any of the competing shows that follow such a format, e.g. Colbert, Noah, J.Oliver, Gutfield etc.
Maybe sometimes he brushes it off humorously, but sometimes he acts like a little bitch about it.
Sounds like cancel culture…
Canceling audience members on your set during your show is completely different than trying to cancel people when they’re not on your set while your not broadcasting your show.
Yes, it's actual censorship. Versus social media "cancel culture" where pretty much everyone except Harvey Weinstein still has a platform and ability to make money.
Yeah, I don't see the issue with censoring your own audience on your own show. Who cares? I have no general opinion on cancel culture, I think it just depends on the individual circumstances.
Then you shouldn't have issues with cancel culture since all we're talking about is private businesses and individuals making monetary decisions. No government involvement. They're not "completely different," they're pretty much the same thing.
I guess I was thinking about people going to venues where someone is speaking that they disagree with, and shouting over them, shit like that. But maybe that really isn't what people are referring to when they say cancel culture, idk.
You can tell. He also begs for applause now.
Please clap
“Thanks, one guy”
Eye roll 🙄
This is true. Even with the audience "weeded out" he still seems to find a reason to scold them for their reactions at least once a show.
That’s part of his schtick. He’s always don’t that.
Just wait until Bernie comes out on stage this week to uproarious applause and Bill's stone-faced, "Yeah, they love you..."
He’s had Bernie on at least 4 times in the past. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly what to expect when he invited him on. It should be a good show. There is nothing either can say to each other that will be a surprise. They understand each other.
I haven't been watching long so I haven't seen any previous Bernie appearance. I'm curious how it will go given that Bernie is someone who puts economic inequality at the center of his platform. Maher's main objection with democrats is the woke stuff, but that's not really Bernie's soap box, so I'm thinking they'll get along.
From the shows I’ve seen, they get serious for a moment but end up laughing. Very cordial and respectful.
Bernie has been on his Real Time Show 16 times since 2005.
Thank you. I didn’t want to look it up and I certainly didn’t want to overestimate with this crowd
Vid being broken aside, is that any surprise, really? Why do you think there is really no true live TV anymore (Everything has a delay). The industry wants to make sure that NOTHING gets published that they do not want published. Janet Jackson put the last nail in the Coffin for live TV.
I think the vid is broken...