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 satirical style and hosting HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" since 2003. Before that, he hosted "Politically Incorrect" on Comedy Central from 1993 to 2002. Maher also hosts the podcast "Club Random" (2022–present). His work consistently engages with current events and political discourse, often challenging conventional viewpoints.
1979: Host of Catch a Rising Star
In 1979, Maher began his career as the host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star.
1982: Appearances on Carson and Letterman's Shows
In 1982, Maher began appearing on the shows of Johnny Carson and David Letterman.
1983: Feature Film Debut in D.C. Cab
In 1983, Maher made his feature film debut in D.C. Cab.
1985: Appearance on Sara
In 1985, Maher made a television appearance on Sara.
1987: Appearance on Max Headroom
In 1987, Maher appeared on the television show Max Headroom.
1988: Appearances in House II, Cannibal Women, and Newhart
In 1988, Maher appeared in House II: The Second Story, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, and Newhart.
1989: Appearance on Murder, She Wrote
In 1989, Maher appeared on an episode of Murder, She Wrote.
1990: Appearances on Murder, She Wrote and Hosting Midnight Hour
In 1990, Maher appeared again on Murder, She Wrote and hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS.
1991: Appearance on Charlie Hoover and Pizza Man
In 1991, Maher made television appearances on Charlie Hoover and in the film Pizza Man.
1993: Host of Politically Incorrect
In 1993, Bill Maher became the host of the late-night show Politically Incorrect, which aired on Comedy Central.
1993: Hosting Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central
In 1993, Maher took on the role of host for Politically Incorrect, a late-night political talk show that initially aired on Comedy Central.
1997: Served on the Board of PETA
In 1997, Maher began serving on the board of PETA, showing his support for animal rights.
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 officially canceled. The Sinclair Broadcast Group had already dropped the show from its ABC-affiliated stations.
2002: End of Politically Incorrect
In 2002, ABC decided not to renew Bill Maher's contract, leading to the end of Politically Incorrect.
2002: Foreword for Spin This!
In 2002, Maher wrote the foreword for the book Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth by Bill Press.
2002: Controversial Remark and Cancellation of Politically Incorrect
In 2002, following a controversial remark about the 9/11 attacks, ABC decided against renewing Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect, leading to its cancellation. Advertisers like FedEx and Sears also pulled their ads.
2003: Host of Real Time with Bill Maher
In 2003, Bill Maher started hosting Real Time with Bill Maher, a political talk show on HBO.
2004: Played Satan in Hollywood Hell House
In 2004, Maher appeared on stage as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of Hollywood Hell House.
January 13, 2006: Hosted Larry King Live
On January 13, 2006, Maher hosted an edition of Larry King Live, on which he was a frequent guest.
October 3, 2008: Release of Religulous
On October 3, 2008, the movie Religulous, created by Maher and director Larry Charles, was released.
2008: Release of Religulous
In 2008, Maher's documentary film Religulous, which critically examines religion, was released.
June 29, 2010: Special Guest on Larry King Live
On June 29, 2010, Maher appeared as a special guest on Larry King Live, during which Larry King announced his retirement.
December 16, 2010: Co-Emceed Final Show of Larry King Live
On December 16, 2010, Maher co-emceed the final show of Larry King Live with Ryan Seacrest.
2011: Maher Supports Medicare-for-All
Since 2011, Bill Maher has been a consistent supporter of Medicare-for-All, advocating for a universal single-payer health care system.
June 7, 2013: Support for NSA's PRISM program
On June 7, 2013, Bill Maher expressed limited support on his show for the NSA's PRISM intelligence data collection program, citing the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons as the tipping point for him. Maher described the NSA's access to private data as a "slippery slope".
2013: Executive Producer for Vice and Challenge to Donald Trump
In 2013, Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice. Also, Maher offered to pay $5 million to a charity if Donald Trump produced his birth certificate.
2015: Maher Calls on Obama to Pardon Marijuana Offenses
In 2015, Bill Maher called on then President Barack Obama to pardon people incarcerated for marijuana offenses.
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 to "stop respecting their medieval bullshit under the guise of, 'It's their culture.'"
February 5, 2016: Endorsement of Bernie Sanders
On February 5, 2016, Bill Maher initially endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for the U.S. presidential election.
June 2016: Support for Hillary Clinton
In June 2016, after Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Party primary elections, Bill Maher announced his support for her.
October 2016: Criticism of Julian Assange
In October 2016, Bill Maher criticized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing leaks from the DNC's emails, stating that Assange had "lost his way" and "hates Hillary."
2016: Renewal of Real Time
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 on air to suggestions that Hillary Clinton was ready to end her low profile and speak out, advising her to "stay in the woods" and let someone else have a chance after she "fucked it up."
April 13, 2018: Prediction of Trump's refusal to concede
On April 13, 2018, Bill Maher began to predict that Donald Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, which he repeated over the course of 20 editions of Real Time with Bill Maher and in several press interviews.
2018: Renewal of Real Time
In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time with Bill Maher through 2018, for its 15th and 16th seasons.
March 14, 2019: Highlighting Trump's Assertions
On March 14, 2019, Bill Maher highlighted Trump's own public references that Trump was "not going to leave", and quoted Trump's assertion, "I have the support of the police, the military, the bikers [for Trump]" and "the tough people", citing this as evidence that Trump would seek to remain in office by force.
August 2019: Economic recession comments
In August 2019, Bill Maher said an economic recession would be "worth it" if Donald Trump did not get re-elected in 2020, stating that "we can't survive another Donald Trump term."
January 25, 2020: 'New Rules' segment on Trump's refusal to leave
On January 25, 2020, Bill Maher dedicated a 'New Rules' end segment of Real Time with Bill Maher to the subject of Trump refusing to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election.
August 7, 2020: Continued Predictions about Trump's refusal
By August 7, 2020, Bill Maher continued to predict that Donald Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, reiterating concerns about potential violence by armed Trump supporters attempting to keep Trump in power.
August 15, 2020: Prediction of Trump not leaving office
In an August 15, 2020, 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.
September 25, 2020: Criticism of media coverage of Trump's threats
On September 25, 2020, during Real Time, Bill Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story about Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, asserting that the media "should have amplified" the severity of Trump's threats.
January 2022: Decline to run for president
In January 2022, Bill Maher declined to run in the 2024 United States presidential election following speculation by Dana Perino.
March 21, 2022: Launched Club Random Podcast
On March 21, 2022, Maher launched his podcast Club Random, featuring interviews in his home bar.
2022: Podcast Club Random Launched
In 2022, Bill Maher launched his podcast, Club Random.
September 13, 2023: Maher Announces Restart of His HBO Show
On September 13, 2023, Bill Maher announced his plans to restart a version of his HBO show on Twitter.
February 2024: Didn't Release Kanye West Interview
In February 2024, Maher decided not to release a two-hour interview with Kanye West for Club Random due to antisemitic comments by the rapper.
March 2024: Starting a Podcast Network: Club Random Studios
In March 2024, Maher announced he was starting a podcast network called Club Random Studios with Chris Casey and Chuck LaBella.
May 2024: Announcement of Stopping Stand-up
In May 2024, Maher told Jerry Seinfeld on the Club Random podcast that he would stop doing stand-up after this year.
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; Maher expressed 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.
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