‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ Back On Air: Maher Offers Mild Praise for WGA

Bill Maher made his return to HBO’s “Real Time” after the five-month strike, offering only mild praise for the Writers Guild of America’s resolution. Season 21 of “Real Time with Bill Maher” marked the first late-night talk show to return to the airwaves following the 148-day work stoppage. Maher’s show kicked off with a one-on-one discussion between Maher and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Florida’s controversial governor.

Transitioning to a panel discussion with Sam Harris, host of the “Making Sense” podcast, and Mary Katharine Ham, author and co-host of the “Getting Hammered” podcast, Maher briefly acknowledged the disruption in TV over the past five months. He expressed gratitude to his staff writers and non-writers for their swift efforts to resume production and thanked the union workers who expedited the necessary paperwork.

Maher had initially faced criticism from his own unions, WGA and SAG-AFTRA, for announcing that “Real Time” would return without WGA writers. However, he was compelled to delay the return due to strong opposition from both striking guilds and the threat of picket lines dissuading guests from appearing on the show.

Previously, Maher had stirred controversy by critiquing the guild’s negotiation stance, asserting that some of their demands were unconventional and suggesting that writers were not entitled to a living in show business.

Maher’s long-running HBO talk show had its last episode before the strike on April 28, featuring Elon Musk, Ian Bremmer, and Konstantin Kisin. On the return episode, Maher engaged in a characteristic discussion with DeSantis about his credibility and chances of winning a general election, noting that a strong campaign wouldn’t require such appearances.