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, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the political talk shows *Real Time with Bill Maher* on HBO and *Politically Incorrect*, which aired on Comedy Central and ABC. In 2022, he launched the podcast *Club Random*.
1979: Host of Catch a Rising Star
In 1979, Maher became the host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star.
1982: TV Appearances
In 1982, Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson's and David Letterman's shows.
1983: Feature Film Debut
In 1983, Maher made his feature film debut in D.C. Cab.
1985: Sara Appearance
In 1985, Maher made a television appearance on Sara.
1987: Max Headroom and House II Appearances
In 1987, Maher appeared in Max Headroom and House II: The Second Story.
1988: Cannibal Women and Newhart Appearances
In 1988, Maher appeared in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death and Newhart.
1989: Murder, She Wrote Appearance
In 1989, Maher appeared on Murder, She Wrote.
1990: Midnight Hour and Murder, She Wrote Appearances
In 1990, Maher hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS and appeared on Murder, She Wrote.
1991: Charlie Hoover and Pizza Man Appearances
In 1991, Maher appeared on Charlie Hoover and Pizza Man.
1993: Politically Incorrect on Comedy Central
In 1993, Bill Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a late-night political talk show that ran on Comedy Central from 1993.
1993: Politically Incorrect Debut
In 1993, Bill Maher's late-night show Politically Incorrect premiered on Comedy Central.
1997: Joins PETA Board
In 1997, Maher joined the board of PETA, supporting animal rights.
1997: Politically Incorrect on 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. Several months earlier, the Sinclair Broadcast Group had dropped the show from its ABC-affiliated stations.
2002: End of Politically Incorrect
In 2002, ABC decided against renewing Bill Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect.
2002: Politically Incorrect Cancellation
In 2002, ABC decided against renewing Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect after a controversial on-air remark following the September 11 attacks.
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 show host Bill Press.
2003: Real Time with Bill Maher Debut
In 2003, Maher became the host, co-producer, and co-writer of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.
2004: Appearance 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.
October 3, 2008: Religulous Release
On October 3, 2008, Maher's movie Religulous, which he made with director Larry Charles, was released.
2008: Religulous Release
In 2008, Religulous, Bill Maher's documentary film exploring his critical views on religion, was released.
2008: Self-Identification as Agnostic in Religulous
In his 2008 feature film Religulous, Bill Maher refers to himself as agnostic.
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 Larry King Live
On December 16, 2010, Maher co-emceed the final show of Larry King Live with Ryan Seacrest.
February 12, 2013: Appearance on Conan and Gun Ownership
On February 12, 2013, Bill Maher explained on the late-night TV talk show Conan that he owns guns for personal home protection. However, he does not identify himself as a "proud" gun owner.
June 7, 2013: Expression of 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 from private phone calls and the Internet, citing the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons as the tipping point for him. While he trusted the Obama administration to employ the program responsibly, he described the NSA's access to private data as a "slippery slope".
2013: Executive Producer for Vice and challenge to Trump
In 2013, Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice. Also in 2013, Maher appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and offered to pay $5 million to a charity if Donald Trump would produce his birth certificate.
2014: Endorsement of Maine Referendum to Ban Bear Hunting Practices
In 2014, Bill Maher endorsed a Maine referendum to ban the use of bait, traps, and dogs to hunt bears in Maine, criticizing the use of bait as "nothing but an execution".
2014: Defense of Israel's Military Actions
In 2014, during the Gaza war, Bill Maher defended Israel's military actions against Palestinians amid criticism over civilian deaths and disproportionate casualty count between Israelis and Palestinians. He argued that Israel is still showing restraint and criticized those who questioned Israel's self-defense.
November 2015: Opposition to Accepting Syrian Refugees
In November 2015, Bill Maher expressed opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees, arguing that they have different values at odds with American values, citing cases in the UK where Muslim immigrants had carried out female genital mutilation and honor killings.
2015: Maher Calls for Marijuana Pardons
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, saying: "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 nomination from the Democratic Party primary elections, Bill Maher announced his support for her in the 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, stating that he felt Assange had "lost his way a little" and that Assange hated Hillary Clinton.
2016: Real Time Renewal
In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time through 2018, for its 15th and 16th seasons.
March 31, 2017: Response to Hillary Clinton's Defeat
On March 31, 2017, following Hillary Clinton's defeat, Bill Maher responded on air to suggestions that Clinton was ready to end her low profile and speak out by saying, "Hillary, stay in the woods... You had your shot. You fucked it up."
June 2017: Controversy Over "House Nigger" Joke
In June 2017, Bill Maher faced criticism for saying in an off-the-cuff joke "I'm a house nigger" in response to guest Senator Ben Sasse offering Maher to work on the fields in his home state on Real Time. HBO called Maher's remarks "inexcusable and tasteless", and Maher apologized for the remarks.
April 13, 2018: Prediction of Trump's Refusal to Concede
On April 13, 2018, Bill Maher began predicting that Donald Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election during an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
2018: Real Time Renewal
In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time through 2018, for its 15th and 16th seasons.
March 14, 2019: Maher highlights Trump's assertion
On March 14, 2019, Bill Maher highlighted Donald 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: Denouncement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement
In August 2019, Bill Maher denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, criticizing the notion that the conflict is solely based on race, with Israelis being mostly white and Palestinians mostly brown. He also responded to Rep. Rashida Tlaib's call to boycott his talk show, questioning if she would boycott 93% of her own party, which had voted to condemn the BDS movement.
August 2019: Statement on Economic Recession and Donald Trump
In August 2019, Bill Maher stated that an economic recession would be "worth it" if Donald Trump did not get re-elected in 2020, saying, "We have survived many recessions. 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 on Real Time with Bill Maher to the subject of Donald Trump's predicted refusal to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election.
April 2020: Criticism of Equating "Wuhan Virus" with Racism
In April 2020, Bill Maher criticized those who equated using the term "Wuhan virus" with racism, stating that scientists have historically named diseases after their place of origin, citing examples such as Zika, Ebola, and Spanish flu.
August 7, 2020: Prediction of Trump's Refusal to Concede
On August 7, 2020, Bill Maher continued predicting that Donald Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election during an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
August 15, 2020: Comment on Trump's Refusal to Leave
In an August 15, 2020, interview with Vanity Fair, Bill Maher stated, "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 an edition of Real Time, Bill Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story about Donald Trump's refusal to commit to a 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 and US 'Woke' Culture
In March 2021, Bill Maher criticized China's treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang and claimed the United States has "lost" to China in the "battle for the 21st century." He also stated that the United States is wasting time in a "never-ending 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 and dorms 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 the 2024 Election
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.
March 21, 2022: Club Random Podcast Launched
On March 21, 2022, 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 Mass Shootings on Hollywood Romanticization of Gun Violence
In 2022, Bill Maher blamed mass shootings in part on Hollywood's romanticization of gun violence in movies, although he also said he is glad that guns exist saying it "levels the playing field".
2022: Criticism of 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 Practices
In 2022, Bill Maher criticized the Democratic Party for "checking boxes" in regard to candidates of different identity groups, including race. He stated that Democrats prioritize diversity over merit.
2022: Club Random Podcast Launch
In 2022, Maher launched the podcast Club Random.
September 13, 2023: Maher Announces Return of HBO Show
On September 13, 2023, Bill Maher announced on Twitter his plans to restart a version of his HBO show.
March 2024: Club Random Studios Announced
In March 2024, Maher announced that he was starting a podcast network with Chris Casey and Chuck LaBella called Club Random Studios.
May 2024: Plans to Stop Stand-Up
In May 2024, 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".
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