In a CNN interview on January 10, 2025, comedian and television host Bill Maher said he would not criticise Donald Trump’s second term in advance. Speaking to Jake Tapper on The Lead, Maher said he would “hope for the best” and comment when “something serious happens.”
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Maher said he would not chase every issue the way he did during Trump’s first term. He described Trump as “a kooky guy who says a lot of kooky things,” and added: “I’m just not going to pre-hate anything. I’m just going to hope for the best, and then when something serious happens, I’ll comment on that.”
Reports about his HBO show
Speculation that Maher might leave his HBO show, Real Time with Bill Maher, circulated before the interview. In the same interview, Maher said he was not quitting. He told Tapper that his HBO show would be dragged off the air before he left it.
Why this is dated
This article reports what Maher said before Trump’s second term began. Readers should check later reporting for his current comments on the administration.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article included unsourced claims about his show’s segments and about the 2024 election. Those claims have been removed.
Sources
- CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper, interview with Bill Maher (10 January 2025): transcript at https://prod.transcripts.cnn.com/show/cg/date/2025-01-10/segment/02
- TheWrap, Bill Maher says ‘Real Time’ is changing approach to Trump 2.0 (10 January 2025): https://www.thewrap.com/bill-maher-real-time-changing-trump-second-term-video
- TV Insider, Bill Maher explains Real Time changes second Trump presidency (January 2025): https://tvinsider.com/1170567/bill-maher-explains-real-time-changes-second-trump-presidency
- Fox News, Bill Maher dismisses speculation of quitting HBO show (January 2025): https://www.foxnews.com/media/bill-maher-dismisses-speculation-quitting-hbo-show-drag-me-off