Bill Maher
 |
Bill Maher |
William "Bill" Maher, Jr., (born
January 20,
1956) is an
American comedian,
actor,
writer, and
producer. He hosted the late-night television talk show
Politically Incorrect on
Comedy Central and
ABC, and is currently the star of
Real Time with Bill Maher on
HBO. On
June 1,
2006, he also began hosting an
internet-exclusive talk show on
Amazon.com entitled
Amazon Fishbowl.
Maher is known for his political satire and
left-wing commentary. His commentaries target a wide swath of topics, from the
right-wing to the
left-wing,
bureaucracies of many kinds,
political correctness,
Hollywood, the
Mass Media, and persons in positions of high political and social power, among many others.
Maher (last name pronounced //) was born in
New York City and grew up in
River Vale,
New Jersey. He graduated from
Pascack Hills High School in
Montvale, New Jersey, which he attended with fellow commentator
Keith Olbermann. Maher is the product of a "mixed" marriage (
Jewish mother,
Roman Catholic father), and, in his early stand-up routine, he said that he would bring a
lawyer to
confession: "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned... I think you know Mr. Cohen..." He received his
Bachelor of Arts in
English from
Cornell University in
1978.
Maher has a substantial career as a
stand-up comedian and still occasionally tours. He was host of the
New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in
1979. Thanks to
Steve Allen, he began appearing on
Johnny Carson and
David Letterman's shows in
1982.
He has appeared in several films, usually in a comical role. His feature film debut was in
D.C. Cab (
1983), and he has also appeared in
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (
1988) and
Pizza Man (
1991). He has also appeared in a number of guest roles on television shows, including
Newhart,
Murder, She Wrote,
Roseanne (as a
boudoir photographer), and
Married... with Children.
Talk show host
Maher is most notable as the former host of
Politically Incorrect, which aired on the
Comedy Central television network and later
ABC. Maher is also currently the host of
Real Time with Bill Maher on
HBO.
ABC decided not to renew Maher's contract for
Politically Incorrect in
2002 after he made a controversial
on-air remark, in which he, along with guest conservative
political commentator Dinesh D'Souza, objected to
President George W. Bush and others calling the
September 11 terrorists "cowardly":
Obscured in all the controversy was the fact that D'Souza brought up the topic first. Some have claimed that Maher's controversial remark was actually a repeating of what D'Souza had said a few moments before. However, it must be noted that D'Souza never implied that the U.S. military and/or U.S. policy was cowardly, while Maher did.
In the context of the sensitive
aftermath of the attacks, such a remark was deemed too controversial for some financial supporters. Although some
pundits, including conservative radio host
Rush Limbaugh,
supported Maher, pointing out the distinction between physical and moral cowardice, companies including
FedEx and
Sears Roebuck pulled their
advertisements from the show, costing the show more than it returned. The show was subsequently cancelled on
June 16, 2002. On
June 22, 2002, six days after the cancellation of
Politically Incorrect, Maher received the President's Award (for "championing
free speech") from the
Los Angeles Press Club.
Another controversial reaction to Maher's comment came from
Ari Fleischer, who was the
Press Secretary of the
George W. Bush administration at the time. Fleischer
responded to a reporter's question about Maher's comments by saying that people "need to watch what they say."
Maher's comment about the cowardice of terrorists followed another controversial comment he made on
Politically Incorrect earlier that year where he compared
dogs to retarded children:
ABC was likely still dealing with the fallout from this statement when it decided not to renew Maher's contract.
In
2003, Maher became the host of
Real Time with Bill Maher on the
HBO cable television network, a debate show somewhat similar to
Politically Incorrect, but with a narrower selection of guests. Maher told
Terry Gross (on NPR's
Fresh Air) in 2004 that he enjoys having more serious and well-informed guests on his current program, as opposed to the random celebrities that fleshed out his roundtable discussions on
Politically Incorrect.
Since May
2005, he's been a contributing
blogger at
The Huffington Post.
On
January 13,
2006, Maher hosted
Larry King Live on
CNN.
On
June 1,
2006, Maher began hosting
amazon.com's
Amazon Fishbowl, the first ever episodic program on a major internet website. The show's first guests included
Dean Koontz and
Dixie Chicks. The show ran a preview episode earlier in the year from the
Sundance Film Festival featuring guests
Stephen King and
Rob Thomas. Maher also produces and writes the show, which will air through August 17, 8 days before the season premiere of
Real Time.
Press coverage
In
1997, during filming of an episode of the game show
Pictionary,
Erik Estrada accidentally punched Maher in the face in a moment of exuberance, knocking him out cold briefly.
In
November 2004 Maher was sued for 9 million dollars by his ex-girlfriend, Nancy Johnson, also known as
Coco Johnsen, for breach of a non-marital relationship contract. Johnson
claims that Maher did not fulfill promises made to her and that he physically and verbally abused her. Maher publicly refuted her allegations on
Larry King Live on
November 23,
2004. His lawyer responded to the lawsuit with a claim that Maher is a "confirmed bachelor" and never promised to marry or support Johnson and that "California law doesn't allow for the
palimony suit brought by Ms. Johnson." On May 2, 2005, a superior court judge dismissed the lawsuit.
In late May 2005,
Alabama Congressman
Spencer Bachus sent a letter to
Time Warner's board of directors requesting
Real Time be cancelled due to remarks Maher made about low military recruiting numbers on the May 13, 2005, episode which Bachus felt were demeaning to the military and in bad taste. Maher's comment was "More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club. We've done picked all the low-lying
Lynndie England fruit, and now we need warm bodies." Maher
responded by reiterating his support for the troops and asking why the Congressman criticized him instead of actually doing something about the problem.
Political views
Maher describes himself as a
libertarian[
1][
2] and celebrates libertarian figures such as
Larry Elder and
P.J. O'Rourke. He favors partial privatization of
social security, ending
corporate welfare, and legalizing all
drugs[
3][
4] [
5][
6](he is a member on
NORML's Advisory Board, an organisation which supports the decriminalization of
marijuana),
gambling,
prostitution, and
pornography[
7].
While differing with many libertarians on such issues as the issue of private
firearm ownership and the
2nd Amendment, Maher stated more than once on
Politically Incorrect that he thought libertarianism was enough of a "
big tent" that there was room for him in it even with that difference of opinion.
Maher also describes himself as an
environmentalist, in which he brings public awareness on the topic of
global warming[
8][
9]many times on his show
Real Time.
He supported
Bob Dole in the
1996 U.S. presidential election on the basis that Dole was a war hero.[
10] He has expressed disdain for many of the liberal positions regarding
hate crime,
sexual harassment, etc. as being "things that make women nod." Although he told
Libertarian candidate
Harry Browne at the end of a Browne appearance on
Politically Incorrect that Browne would have his vote, he later said on other episodes that he instead voted for
Ralph Nader in the
2000 U.S. presidential election.
Maher publicly supports
PETA[
11], a controversial
animal rights organization, and has expressed his distaste for the
pharmaceutical and
healthcare industries in general[
12], on the grounds that they make their money out of curing people who are made sick by consuming the
unhealthy food that society urges upon the public. He has expressed skepticism that vaccines are responsible for helping to eliminate many diseases [
13][
14]. On the
August 11,
2005, episode of
Larry King Live, Bill Maher announced he is not a
vegetarian but eats meat rarely[
15]. He claimed he is still a board member of PETA and supports animal rights[
16].
Prior to the
2004 U.S. presidential election he became very forthright in his opposition to the re-election of
George W. Bush and his support for
John Kerry as the best candidate to defeat Bush, rather than the candidate most in agreement with Maher's views, going so far as to publicly kneel on his show, with director
Michael Moore, and beg
Ralph Nader to drop out of the race. Maher often says that the word "liberal" has been unfairly demonized, and during the elections he criticized Kerry for being ashamed of the word. He has been called a "
libertine socialist" by a
political commentator
Jonah Goldberg. [
17] Maher also supports the
death penalty,
abortion and
euthanasia[
18], often stating his position humorously as "pro-death." Expanding on this statement, he revealed his belief that the size of the
human population has led to damage to the earth's
ecosystem, so that he generally in favor of anything that would reduce the size of said population. Since 9/11 he also has on numerous occasions stated his endorsement of
racial profiling at airports[
19].
He was originally opposed to the
war in Iraq, but briefly became less skeptical of it after the
Iraqi election of 2005. Maher now views the Iraq War as a failure and implied on the February 24, 2006 episode of
Real Time that Iraq was better off under
Saddam Hussein and that the U. S. cannot control the sectarian violence like Saddam Hussein did. The result of the invasion of Iraq, in his view, has increased the threat of terrorism. He has also stated his concerns about the possibility of a future civil war in Iraq or about the possibility that Iraq is already involved in the early stages of a civil war.
On the May 13, 2006 season finale of
Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher stated his support for the
impeachment of
George W. Bush by the end of August. [
20]
Religious views ("Insanity by consensus")
Maher is often critical of
organized religion [
21][
22]. He has described religion as a neurological disorder that spreads guilt and hatred among people while offering nothing in return. In two separate appearances on
Real Time,
atheist comedian
George Carlin and Maher alleged that organized religion is a cause of many of society's problems, and that the practices of organized religion are mired with hypocrisy. Maher credited Carlin's views as inspiration for him to speak out against organized religion.
Maher has said many times that religion works under the guise of morality, but that its tenets generally have nothing to do with morality; that religious prohibitions are being confused with moral law. In Maher's view, just because a religion prohibits abortion or decries homosexuality, that does not mean that having an abortion or being homosexual are immoral acts. Instead, Maher argues that an immoral person is one who harms others; an activity which harms another individual such as murder or rape would be an immoral act. This is also a traditional libertarian position.
Maher opposes religious monuments[
23] such as
The Ten Commandments being placed in or near court houses, saying that this would violate the
separation of church and state. He has countered the assertion of conservative Christians who claim that American law is based on the Ten Commandments by saying that of the ten, only two (the prohibitions on murder and theft) apply to American law. The other commandments, he argues, such as honoring no god before the Judeo-Christian God, keeping the
Sabbath holy, or honoring thy mother and thy father, are not American laws at all. In answer to the suggestion that a divine moral authority is necessary, he suggests "Couldn't we just get together and agree on the few basic
Commandments that are laws? Like 'I won't slaughter you, and don't take my shit.'"
Maher has stated on both
Politically Incorrect and
Real Time, and on several appearances of
Larry King Live that he does, indeed, believe in
God, but that organized religion is nothing more than tradition and superstition. He asserts that organized religion provides answers to questions that "cannot possibly be answered". Questions such as "Where do I go when I die?" or "Is there a heaven?", he says, are impossible to answer. By claiming to have the answers, Maher argues, organized religion is dishonest and it "stops people from thinking".
During Maher's appearance on
Larry King Live on August 11, 2005, he said he was an
agnostic who nevertheless is still quite open to the idea that God exists. The following exchange also occurred on that program:
CALLER: "Hi. Well, my question is, the Lord spoke to me approximately three years ago, and if the Lord spoke to you [Maher], I was wondering if you'd become a believer."
MAHER: "No, I'd check into Bellevue, which is what you should do..."
Maher then explained that certainty in one's religious belief is absurd, using the example of
Scientology: ..."You [a Scientologist], like all religious people, have a neurological disorder. And the only reason why people think it's sane is because so many other people believe the same thing. It's insanity by consensus."
Author and Christian
evangelist Ray Comfort recently challenged Maher to a public debate on
Intelligent Design versus
evolution[
24], at a venue of Maher's choosing, but this is yet to take place, [
25] although an online
petition exists which calls upon Maher to accept the challenge. [
26]
*He dated for a time retired
porn actress
Heather Hunter.
*He drove a
Toyota Prius for three years before trading it in for the
Lexus RX 400h hybrid. He still rides in limousines to and from his stand-up concerts, however.[
27]
*Huge fan of both
The Beatles and The
Eagles, occasionally referring to them in his work, once saying on
Real Time that comparing Saddam Hussein to
Hitler is like comparing the band
Oasis to the Beatles.
*He is 5'8" tall.
Bibliography
Does Anybody Have a Problem With That? Politically Incorrect's Greatest Hits,
1996 (ISBN 0679456279)
Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect,
1997 (ISBN 0345412818)
True Story : A Novel,
2002 (ISBN 0743242513)
When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism,
2003 (ISBN 1893224902)
Keep the Statue of Liberty Closed: The New Rules,
2004 (ISBN 1932407472)
New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,
2005 (ISBN 1594862958)
Filmography
The Aristocrats (2005) .... Himself
Tomcats (2001) (uncredited) .... Carlos
Bimbo Movie Bash (1997)
Don't Quit Your Day Job (1996) .... Comic's Table
Say What? (1992) .... Host
Pizza Man (1991) .... Elmo Bunn
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) ... (aka
Jungle Heat or
Piranha Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death) .... Jim
Out of Time (1988) .... Maxwell Taylor
House II: The Second Story (1987) .... John
Ratboy (1986) .... Party Guest
Club Med (1986) .... Rick
Rags to Riches (1986) (aka Foley and the Girls From St. Mags) .... Freddie
D.C. Cab (1983) (aka Street Fleet) .... Bill
Television
I'm Swiss (2005) (
HBO) .... Himself
Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home (2003) (
HBO) .... Himself
Real Time with Bill Maher (
HBO) (2003–Present) .... Host
Bill Maher: Be More Cynical (2000) (
HBO) .... Himself
Politically Incorrect (
Comedy Central and
ABC) (1994–2002) .... Host
Charlie Hoover (1991) .... Elliot
The Midnight Hour (1990) .... Host
Hard Knocks (1987)
Rosanne Dirty Picture Photographer
Sara (1985) .... Marty Lang
Special appearances
MADtv (2005) .... himself
*
Bill Maher's official website*
HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" site*
Bill Maher's blog on the Huffington Post*
Bill Maher on broadband in LA Times*
Maher-TV (fansite)*
Is Bill Maher a libertarian? by Dann Halem*
Bill Maher's Remark About Army 'Borders on Treason,' Lawmaker Says (foxnews.com)
*
Bill Maher Owes Another Apology - A war veteran responds to Maher's anti-military comments
*
Is Bill Maher the Jane Fonda of the Iraq War? - Another response to Maher's anti-military comments
