Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Bill Maher
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Bill Maher made an impact.
Bill Maher is an American comedian, television host, actor, and political commentator. He is best known for his politically charged satire and hosting political talk shows. He currently hosts HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" (since 2003) and the podcast "Club Random" (since 2022). Previously, he hosted "Politically Incorrect" (1993-2002) on Comedy Central and ABC, solidifying his presence as a prominent figure in political comedy and commentary.
1979: Catch a Rising Star Host
In 1979, Bill Maher began his career as the host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star.
1982: Late Night Show Appearances
In 1982, Bill Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson's and David Letterman's shows.
1983: D.C. Cab Film Debut
In 1983, Bill Maher made his feature film debut in D.C. Cab.
1985: Sara TV Appearance
In 1985, Bill Maher made a television appearance on Sara.
1987: Max Headroom Appearance
In 1987, Bill Maher appeared on Max Headroom.
1988: Cannibal Women and Newhart Appearance
In 1988, Bill Maher appeared in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death and Newhart.
1989: Murder, She Wrote Appearance
In 1989, Bill Maher appeared on Murder, She Wrote.
1990: Murder, She Wrote and Midnight Hour Appearance
In 1990, Bill Maher appeared on Murder, She Wrote and hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS.
1991: Charlie Hoover and Pizza Man Appearance
In 1991, Bill Maher made television appearances on Charlie Hoover and Pizza Man.
1993: Politically Incorrect Start
In 1993, Bill Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a late-night political talk show that began on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and later moved to ABC.
1993: Hosting Politically Incorrect
In 1993, Bill Maher started hosting the late-night show called Politically Incorrect, which aired on Comedy Central from 1993 to 2002 and later on ABC.
1997: Politically Incorrect Moves to ABC
In 1997, Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher moved from Comedy Central to ABC.
June 16, 2002: Cancellation of Politically Incorrect
On June 16, 2002, Politically Incorrect was canceled.
2002: Politically Incorrect Cancellation
In 2002, ABC decided against renewing Bill Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect, following controversial on-air remarks after the September 11 attacks.
2002: Rejection of atheist label
In 2002, Bill Maher rejected being grouped with explicit atheists, stating, "I'm not an atheist. There's a really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion."
2002: Foreword for Spin This!
In 2002, Bill Maher wrote the foreword for the book, Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth by show host Bill Press.
2003: Real Time with Bill Maher Debut
In 2003, Bill Maher became the host, co-producer, and co-writer of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.
2004: Satan in "Hollywood Hell House"
In 2004, Bill Maher appeared on stage as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of "Hollywood Hell House".
January 13, 2006: Larry King Live Hosting
On January 13, 2006, Bill Maher hosted an edition of Larry King Live, where he was often a guest.
October 3, 2008: Religulous Movie Release
On October 3, 2008, the movie Religulous, by Bill Maher and director Larry Charles, was released.
2008: Religulous Documentary Release
In 2008, Religulous, a documentary film by Bill Maher exploring his critical views of religion, was released.
2008: Self-identification as agnostic
In his 2008 feature film Religulous, Bill Maher refers to himself as agnostic, stating his perspective on religion.
2009: Obama and Affordable Care Act
In 2009, Bill Maher stated that Obama should push through the Affordable Care Act with 51 votes, even if he doesn't get 60 votes.
June 29, 2010: Larry King Live Special Guest
On June 29, 2010, Bill Maher appeared as a special guest on Larry King Live, on which CNN anchor Larry King announced his retirement.
December 16, 2010: Larry King Live Final Show Co-Emcee
On December 16, 2010, Bill Maher co-emceed the final show of Larry King Live with Ryan Seacrest.
2011: Support for Medicare-for-All
Since 2011, Bill Maher has consistently supported the establishment of a Medicare-for-All universal single-payer health care system.
February 12, 2013: Appearance on Conan
On February 12, 2013, Bill Maher explained on the late-night TV talk show Conan that he owns guns for personal home protection, but does not identify himself as a "proud" gun owner, comparing it to being a "proud remote control owner".
June 7, 2013: Support for NSA's PRISM data collection
On June 7, 2013, Bill Maher expressed limited support on his show for the NSA's PRISM intelligence data collection from private phone calls and the Internet, citing the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons as the tipping point for his support.
2013: Executive Producer for Vice
In 2013, Bill Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice.
2014: Defense of Israel's military actions
During the 2014 Gaza war, Bill Maher defended Israel's military actions against Palestinians amid criticism over civilian deaths, arguing that Israel was showing restraint and criticizing those who questioned their right to self-defense. He also faced online backlash for tweeting about dealing with Hamas.
2014: Endorsement of Maine referendum
In 2014, Bill Maher endorsed a Maine referendum to ban the use of bait, traps, and dogs to hunt bears in Maine, specifically criticizing the use of bait and referring to its use as "nothing but an execution".
November 2015: Opposition to accepting Syrian refugees
In November 2015, Bill Maher expressed opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees, arguing that some refugees have values which are at odds with American values due to some refugees may be coming from places which are governed by Sharia law or want to be.
2015: Call to pardon marijuana offenses
In 2015, Bill Maher called on then President Barack Obama to pardon individuals incarcerated for marijuana offenses, advocating for cannabis law reform.
2015: Criticism of Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia
In 2015, Bill Maher criticized Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia, a close U.S. ally, stating, "Stop respecting their medieval bullshit under the guise of, 'It's their culture.'", expressing his disapproval of certain aspects of Saudi Arabian culture and U.S. foreign policy.
February 5, 2016: Endorsement of Bernie Sanders
On February 5, 2016, Bill Maher initially endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for the U.S. presidential election. This marked Maher's initial support in the 2016 election cycle.
June 2016: Support for Hillary Clinton
In June 2016, Bill Maher announced his support for Hillary Clinton after she secured the Democratic Party nomination. This indicated a shift in Maher's endorsement during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
October 2016: Criticism of Julian Assange
In October 2016, Bill Maher criticized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing leaks from the DNC's emails, expressing his feeling that Assange had "lost his way" and harbored animosity towards Hillary Clinton.
2016: Real Time Renewal
In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time with Bill Maher through 2018 for its 15th and 16th seasons.
March 31, 2017: Response to Hillary Clinton's defeat
On March 31, 2017, Bill Maher responded to suggestions that Hillary Clinton was preparing to end her low profile and speak out following her defeat, advising her to "stay in the woods" and let someone else have a chance, comparing her loss to Bill Buckner's error in the World Series.
June 2017: "House Nigger" controversy
In June 2017, Bill Maher faced criticism for saying "I'm a house nigger" in an off-the-cuff joke on Real Time in response to Senator Ben Sasse. HBO called Maher's remarks "inexcusable and tasteless" and removed the segment from future airings. Maher apologized and had a discussion about the controversy on his show.
April 13, 2018: Prediction of Trump's refusal to concede
On April 13, 2018, Bill Maher began a series of predictions on Real Time with Bill Maher suggesting that Donald Trump would refuse to concede if he lost the 2020 United States presidential election, a theme he would reiterate over multiple broadcasts and interviews.
2018: Real Time Renewal Through 2018
In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time with Bill Maher through 2018 for its 15th and 16th seasons.
March 14, 2019: Trump's assertion of support
On March 14, 2019, Donald Trump asserted that he had the support of the police, the military, and bikers, which Bill Maher cited as evidence that Trump would seek to remain in office by force, reinforcing Maher's prediction that Trump would not concede the election.
August 2019: Denouncement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement
In August 2019, Bill Maher denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, criticizing its premise and responding to Rep. Rashida Tlaib's call to boycott his talk show. He also condemned the October 7 attacks as Israel's 9/11, cautioning Israel against losing the moral high ground in the Gaza war.
August 2019: Statement on economic recession
In August 2019, Bill Maher stated that an economic recession would be "worth it" to prevent Donald Trump's re-election in 2020, expressing a preference for enduring economic hardship over another term for Trump.
January 25, 2020: 'New Rules' segment on Trump's refusal to leave
On January 25, 2020, Bill Maher dedicated a 'New Rules' end segment to the subject of Donald Trump potentially refusing to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, highlighting the seriousness of the issue.
April 2020: Defense of the term "Wuhan virus"
In April 2020, Bill Maher criticized those who equated using the term "Wuhan virus" with racism, arguing that scientists have historically named diseases after the places they originated from, such as the Zika Forest and Ebola River, and that the term was not related to Asian Americans but to China.
August 7, 2020: Continued predictions about Trump
On August 7, 2020, Bill Maher continued to predict that Donald Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election on 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' reinforcing his concerns about a peaceful transfer of power.
August 15, 2020: Interview with Vanity Fair
On August 15, 2020, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Bill Maher stated that "we've baked it into the cake that he's not going to leave," referring to Donald Trump and his potential refusal to leave office.
September 25, 2020: Criticism of media coverage
On September 25, 2020, during an edition of Real Time, Bill Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story by Michael Crowley headlined "Trump Won't Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power," asserting that the media should have amplified the severity of Trump's threats.
March 2021: Criticism of China's treatment of Uyghurs
In March 2021, Bill Maher criticized China's treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. However, he also said that the United States has "lost" to China in the "battle for the 21st century", pointing to China's advancements in high-speed rail while the U.S. is focused on "woke competition".
2021: Opposition to NFL's "Black national anthem"
In 2021, Bill Maher opposed the NFL's decision to play the "Black national anthem" before games, considering it a form of segregation. He argued for one national anthem and rejected separate ceremonies based on race, which drew some criticism.
2021: Urging America to take in Afghan refugees
In 2021, after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Bill Maher urged America to take in Afghan refugees.
January 2022: Declining to run in 2024
In January 2022, Bill Maher declined to run in the 2024 United States presidential election following speculation by Dana Perino that he might be called on to do so, removing himself from potential candidacy.
March 21, 2022: Club Random Podcast Launch
On March 21, 2022, Bill Maher launched a podcast titled Club Random, a series hosting one-on-one interviews with guests, recorded in his bar at home, where he discusses everything except politics.
2022: Blaming Hollywood for mass shootings
In 2022, Bill Maher blamed mass shootings in part on Hollywood's romanticization of gun violence in movies, despite acknowledging that he is glad guns exist as they "level the playing field".
2022: Criticism of Biden administration's Disinformation Governance Board
In 2022, Bill Maher criticized the Biden administration's Disinformation Governance Board and agreed with the comparison that the board was similar to the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
2022: Criticism of Democratic Party's diversity priorities
In 2022, Bill Maher criticized the Democratic Party for "checking boxes" in regard to candidates of different identity groups, stating that Democrats prioritize diversity over merit. He has also spoken out against critical race theory but supports teaching the history of racism.
2022: Club Random Launch
In 2022, Bill Maher launched his podcast Club Random.
September 13, 2023: Announcement to restart HBO show
On September 13, 2023, Bill Maher announced on Twitter his plans to restart a version of his HBO show.
February 2024: Unreleased Kanye West Interview
In February 2024, Bill Maher revealed that he decided not to release a two-hour interview with Kanye West recorded for Club Random because of the rapper's recent antisemitic comments.
March 2024: Club Random Studios Launch
In March 2024, Bill Maher announced that he was starting a podcast network with Chris Casey and Chuck LaBella called Club Random Studios.
May 2024: Planned Stand-up Retirement
In May 2024, Bill Maher told Jerry Seinfeld on the Club Random podcast that "after this year, I'm going to stop doing [stand-up]".
July 2024: Call for Biden to decline nomination
In July 2024, Bill Maher called on Joe Biden to decline the Democratic party's nomination in order to have an open convention at the Democratic Convention, expressing his support for Gavin Newsom to replace Biden as the party's nominee.
February 2025: Endorsement of John Fetterman
In February 2025, Bill Maher endorsed Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman for the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries, praising his strong support of Israel and stance against "woke".
September 2025: Criticism of lack of coverage on persecution of Christians in Nigeria
In September 2025, Bill Maher criticized the lack of news coverage on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, stating that they are being "systematically killed" and questioning why there weren't protests about it.
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