Bill Maher tapes his show, which means news that breaks on Friday is usually not mentioned.
Such was the case on Friday’s Real Time, as earlier in the day, stories broke that Maher has fired his longtime agents at CAA, allegedly over not being invited to agency head Bryan Lourd’s A-list house party during Oscars week.
Ironically, Maher’s “New Rules” editorial was about the trend toward whining about the small stuff in life.
“Being obsessed with your mental heath is bad for your mental heath,” he proclaimed. He tied it to why President Joe Biden’s approval rating is so low “when things are pretty good.” He cited the modern blessings of next day shopping, stuffed crust pizza, and porn on your phone. So “cheer the f**k up,” he advised.
“Yes, you are on the spectrum,” Maher said. “So’s everyone alive. That’s why they call it a spectrum.”
Maher brought up the time Elmo asked on social media how everyone was doing. “People responded like he was the suicide hotline,” Maher noted. “But you think you have it bad – try living your life with a guy’s forearm shoved up your ass.”
Earlier, Maher interviewed Eric Holder, former attorney general under President Obama, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and co-author of Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote-A History, a Crisis, a Plan.
The highly partisan Holder focused on the silver linings of the dark clouds of the recent Biden approval polls. He dismissed the low approvals as a March thing, and predicted things would turn around by November’s election.
“There’s work to be done, but I’m optimistic,” Holder said, making a joke about Trump’s cognitive abilities. “Are you better off now than four year ago? You’re damn right we are,” he said.
This week’s panel discussion included Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican Congresswoman from South Carolina who currently serves on the Armed Services and House Oversight committees, and Rep. Ro Khanna, Democratic Congressman who represents California’s Silicon Valley and is a member of President Biden’s National Advisory Board.
Mace gamely tried to outline the problems with Biden’s record — “It’s horrible,” she said at one point — but had her points deflected by Maher.
At one point, Maher asked her how she could support Trump, as Mace herself was a rape victim who has publicly discussed her assault. She corrected Maher that Trump’s conviction was for defamation in the E. Jean Carroll trial, and blasted her recent interview with George Stephanopoulos, who asked her the same question. Mace pointed out his association with the Clintons and the presence of her young daughter on the set as the reason she took offense at the line of questioning.