I used to work for HBO's Design Department (around 4 years). The single most difficult talent I worked with was Bill Maher. The art for Real Time, while having virtually no budget and no affect on numbers, and being virtually the same every year, would have 10+ rounds of edits because he ALWAYS hated how he looked. ALWAYS thought he looked too old. We never even would get his key art to a place where he was happy, we'd just run out of time and he'd be forced to pick one of the ten versions he didn't like (or risk the show not airing).

We all know Maher is extremely critical of the youth/the left, but just thought it could be interesting for people to know he's also extremely critical of how he looks and desperately ashamed of being old.

I posted this in r/maher yesterday and linked to it but the OP was deleted so I’m posting it here now. I was also banned from that group for my trouble.

That’s the actual audience laugh reaction to Bill’s “…bitches” remark btw. It’s then put on loop.

I believe BM is fully compromised, most likely being blackmailed or otherwise threatened and intimidated. And for that reason, I believe he will behave as all of Trump's compromised cronies do: He'll say he has a sense of humor, say Trump was being funny and that he is moody, but he will probably insist that their conversation was genuine and the Trump who is publicly posturing is not the same man he has gotten to know and respect.

It makes me sick to write this, but it's how I suspect Maher will react. He'll try and fail to save face, but that will be secondary to pacifying Trump and keeping him appeased. Trump's public-humiliation post was effective at further humilating Maher and it is a test of Maher's loyalty. Maher thinks he is a genius and so he will try to weave together lightly critical jokes with further praise of Trump. As long as he jokes about Trump's minions and is self-critical and ultimately flattering to Trump, his loyaty will be proved and Trump will lighten up and call Maher smart and funny again.

That's my hunch. What's yours?

... Okay,okay so I like writing poems too, so sue me... I love Joyce Carol Oates and how she stands up to Bill Maher nowadays...In my heart I think maybe she would get a kick out of it... Can't hurt to try to bring a laugh to anybody, or tell some shitty people off

If you work for Bill, tell him there's no automatic laugh and applaud signs here

Look, Bill is lame, but I always just assumed that there is a real audience. But now people are saying it's a laugh track? Is this true? Can anyone here who has gone to a live taping verify?

For those of you who didn’t see it, John Oliver had a long piece on the latest episode of last week tonight where he illustrated the Republican parties, nod nod wink wink arrangement with antisemites and neo Nazis and white supremacist. Who are not as fringe Republicans as you would like to think and our actually in position of power in the party. If somebody on his staff is seeing this, please see to it that Bill watches that episode.
Why? Because you would never know it by listening to Bill, but you would think all the antisemites are in the Democratic Party now because a few college protesters thought Israel went a little too far in its retaliation to October 7. Yes, the Democrats are all antisemitic now because a bunch of college kids couldn’t justify all those Palestinian civilians and children that had nothing to do with October 7 getting killed disproportionately by people whose book tells them eye for an eye, not thousand eyes for one eye. Not to mention the habitual mistreatment of Palestinians on occupied territories where they have been getting bulldozed for years. See Rachel Corrie.
So wild Bill is outraged, just outraged at those Democrats, he never ever ever ever says one word about the neo Nazis and white supremacist and the KKK members that openly indoors Trump and other Republicans, and take credit for their victories. That he has no problem with!
What a hypocritical fraud! If he is no longer the don’t tread on me libertarian Bill Maher of the 90s and he’s a republican now, fine. Go and own it. But don’t use some BS pretense about how you have to leave the Democrats because the Democrats are antisemitic now. Because you don’t seem to have any problems with the other side, who is, and always has been, 1000 times worse on that subject.

When was the last time Bill had on a panelist he legitimately disagreed with, or two panelists who legitimately disagreed with eachother?

Real Time used to be a place where actual debates and arguments broke out, but it's been a long time since that's happened. Bill seems comfortable having on folks who either A) agree with eachother on all the major points
or
B) are just thrilled to be appearing on the show and won't rock the boat by being contentious.

He's all washed up.

This part:
“…I don’t give a shit about any of this. I like the ballroom! America does need a ballroom. It’s the United States of America.” Oof.

But only because I never was on board with him. I could only take him in small doses, and usually because of who his guest was.

I found him overly pompous, he thinks WAY too highly about himself, and he has a particular talent at being at the peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve on almost every topic. He is smug, arrogant, and smarmy; and the only adjective he truly deserves is smarmy.

I looked at my HBO watch history. Last time I tuned into RT was a decade ago.

Bye, Bill!

One of last night’s big news stories was that Donald Trump wrote his longest-ever social media post yesterday to attack Bill Maher. You can read about it at the link below, but what I believe is important about Trump’s post is that I believe it’s a test of Bill Maher’s newly pledged loyalty to him.

People don't seem to register that Donald Trump always publicly humiliates people after they pledge fealty to him. He always does it. We have seen many versions of this. He made Marco Rubio wear the giant shoes to look like a fool. It is a test of loyalty. If people promise unconditional loyalty to him and then he humiliates them and they remain loyal, then he knows they will do his bidding. This is common of narcissists.

Maher has said himself that one thing he admires about Trump is that he can lash out at someone one day and then forgive them shortly thereafter as long as they flatter him and follow his orders. When DOGE ended abruptly and Elon Musk fled Washington, most people thought that Trump and Musk had a feud, and all newspapers reported on their "breakup." People hoped Musk and Trump would attack one another and bring one another down. No. People thought the same about Bannon when he and Trump "broke up." No. All these men remain close and all remain in service to Trump. His public humiliation after someone promises loyalty is an easily observable pattern and it is consistent. That is what is happening here.

I suspect Bill Maher will become increasingly supportive of Trump and that his show will become more and more Fox News/Newsmax/OANN/CBS News-like as time marches on.

Maher insists today that he "hasn't changed," and that his decision to make two pilgrimages to the White House to dine with Trump is what any reasonable person would do. He said Trump is funny, kind, flattering, and reasonable, and that anyone would be proud to be invited to the White House as he was. In this video from eight years ago, Maher had exactly the opposite opinion when Geraldo Rivera insisted all the things about Trump that Maher says today. Maher is ensnared. We are watching in real time what happens when someone gets on the hook of a dictator and can't wriggle away, so they just decide to become a puppet.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/media/trump-bill-maher-truth-social-longest-post-ever

EDIT: This is an excerpt of comments Maher made about Trump during his monologue immediately after his first White House dinner, offered for the trolls commenting here that Maher does not praise Trump:

Now, does Trump want respect? Of course, who doesn't? My friend said to me, what are you going to wear to the White House? I said, I don't know, but I'm not going to dress like Zelenskyy, I'll tell you that. Just for starters, he laughs! I've never seen him laugh in public. But he does, including at himself. And it's not fake.

At one point we were walking through his amazing — it is an amazing tour of the whole house.

He didn't get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.

I've had so many conversations with prominent people who are much less connected, people who don't look you in the eye, people who really don't listen because they just want to get to their next thing, people whose response to things you say just doesn't track. Like, what? None of that with him. And he mostly steered the conversations: ‘So what do you think about this?’ I know. Your mind is blown. So is mine.

At dinner, he was asking me about the nuclear situation in Iran in a very genuine, ‘Hey, I think you're a smart guy. I want your opinion’ sort of way.

Moving Israel's embassy to Jerusalem? Loved it. The border did need to be controlled.

I'm glad the cops are getting their morale back.

DEI had gone too far.

Biological men shouldn't be playing women's sports.

Europe should pay for their defense.

I never felt I had to walk on eggshells around him, and honestly? I voted for Clinton and Obama but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the way I was able to talk with Donald Trump. That's just how it went down. Make of it what you will. Me? I feel it's emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular these days. He was even OK when I checked him. He was. I know…Again, no anger, just a little smile, as if to say, yeah, I get it.

[Trump gave Maher] hats and a very generous amount of time and a willingness to listen and accept me as a possible friend…

I went into the mine, and that's what's down there. A crazy person doesn't live in the White House.

Trump was gracious and measured…

Whats asshole Maher going to do now?

I just don't think it played well while he sits in his home in Beverly Hills with his private jet. He also forgets that HE is a senior and appears to believe he is young, which may be why he only dates very young women.

...Both completely compromise Bill's credibility.

Photo from the mediaite article : https://www.mediaite.com/online/mental-deterioration-1300-word-truth-social-tirade-against-bill-maher-prompts-liberal-critics-to-suggest-trump-is-losing-his-marbles/

So first thought: Bill - shoe lifts in , Don - shoe lifts out? Or has Don been ( ** SHOCKER AHEAD **) lying about his height too?

Second thought: Bill's date, someone have a name?? Side profile is tough to read. BUT, the engineering quality of that fabric strap is outstanding. WHOA ! Those straps are carrying a load.

Third: Don's date? Had he clicked Proceeded to Checkout with Mel at this time? She's the most intriguing part as we head down to the dementia diagnosis for Don. No prenup is that ironclad in the legal biz. Oh the secrets that await.

Post Script: The score is now 8-1 on the WAR ending tally. Mel taking credit for the stoppage in one city in Ukraine that russians were in. Speaking 6 languages AND diplomatic negotiator? Never ends.

Whats he gonna say? I sold out to Trump and the Republicans for a few years unril Trump attacked Me? This is hilarious..it shows Bill is a fraud.