OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Comedian, actor, and HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher slammed his late-night colleagues like Stephen Colbert for pushing a liberal agenda and lacking unique perspectives on current events.
During his “Club Random” podcast with comedian Jim Gaffigan, Maher discussed the future of late-night programming, especially with the ongoing writers’ strike.
Gaffigan attempted to say people have “developed a relationship” with late-night hosts and “want to hear Colbert’s take about the day.” (Poll: Is CNN ‘Fake News’? VOTE)
“It’s not a take,” Maher argued. Those guys don’t have takes.”
“I have takes. I have a take on things,” he explained. “What they do is say exactly what a liberal audience wants them to say about that. That’s not a take. I mean, I’m not saying it’s not sincere. I guess it is on their part. But even if it wasn’t, that’s what they would do. There’s never a moment where you don’t know exactly- ‘oh this is the correct point of view on that.'”
Gaffigan said, “I love all those guys, I do, but the formula of ‘Real Time,’ obviously it’s less of a celebrity interview, turn and burn thing, but like it hasn’t felt any of the effects of that. Like I think this strike is going to kill the late night show that we grew up with.”
“Why is the strike killing it?” Maher asked. “I don’t get it.”
“Well, because it’s off the air,” Gaffigan responded.
Maher responded, “This is, again, no knock on the guys who do it, but I don’t know how this art form has survived up until now.”
“I mean, I understand why I’m on because I’m on HBO. It’s an hour without commercials. And I mean, sorry, it’s a lot more entertaining, it’s a lot more edgy, it’s a lot more unpredictable,” he continued. “And it’s true talk. I get that. What I don’t get is this era of watching- what sponsors are sponsoring a show that’s on after most people go to bed in an era when you can do anything at any time.”
He continued, “You know, you can watch anything- you get into bed, you can watch Netflix, you can watch HBO, you can watch YouTube, you can watch anything that was ever made, or do video games.”
“Even if you wanted to watch this late night stuff, wouldn’t you watch it sometime when you could zip through the commercials and just see the stuff you like. It just seems so anachronistic. I don’t know how it survives until now.”
Last week, Colbert along with Kimmel, Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver, launched a podcast in hopes of raising money for their writing staff as the strike continues.
While expressing his respect for his fellow late-night hosts, Maher questioned the resilience of the late-night art form in the modern era. He contrasted his HBO show’s format, which is more unpredictable and without commercials, with traditional late-night TV.
Key Takeaways:
• Bill Maher criticized late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert for pushing a liberal agenda and lacking unique perspectives.
• Maher also questioned the relevance of late-night shows in an era where people can watch anything at any time and skip through commercials.
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