Bill Maher says he won’t be leaving HBO’s “Real Time” anytime soon.
The comedian and political pundit told CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” on Friday that he was quitting after suggesting on his “Club Random” podcast in December that he “might quit” due to Donald Trump’s presidential election victory in a month. I confirmed the facts. Previous.
“What I said is I don’t want another Trump term,” Maher told Tapper. “Not just because I don’t think this is going to be a good time for America… but because I’ve already made all the jokes about Donald Trump. “I don’t know what more to say.”
“I was hoping to bring a new character to the episodic TV show called America,” he added, referring to Trump’s continued cultural and political reign. “But it’s kind of like a reboot of ‘Matlock,’ but instead of bringing in Kathy Bates, we put Andy Griffith back in.”
The 1980s legal drama starring Griffith was rebooted last year with Bates in the lead role.
Maher discussed the election on his podcast and told guest Jane Fonda that he might quit his HBO show because he doesn’t want to make Trump jokes after four years, sparking rumors of his possible departure from “Live.” . Broadcast every week since 2003.
“I played Trump,” he said in a podcast at the time. “I did everything Trump did before anyone else. I called him a fraud before anyone else. I did. He’s a mafia boss. I was the one who said he would not concede the election. “I did it.”
Left: Noam Galai/Getty Images; Right: Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Maher correctly predicted Trump’s continued refusal to concede the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. But the comedian told Tapper he wouldn’t let Trump “get on my mind” and played down his previous concerns.
“I’m not going to chase all the rabbits out like I did the first semester,” he said. “He’s a weird guy who says a lot of weird things and I’m not going to hate anything.” I’ll do my best and I’ll comment if anything serious happens.”
“It’s perfect, it’s perfect for comedy,” Maher added. “But I won’t take it seriously.”
Maher may not be a Trump fan, but he’s not the only journalist hoping for the best these days. Tech and media giants who previously criticized Trump (or even kicked him off their social media platforms) have done a strange 180-degree turn since the election.
“I think they got a lot of respect,” Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday. “We had everyone. Jeff Bezos came, Bill Gates came, Mark Zuckerberg came. Many of them have been here multiple times. All the bankers came. “Everyone is coming.”
