Comedian Bill Maher has become the latest host of a WGA-signatory talk show to abandon plans to return to production amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
Maher said late last week that HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher would return to the studio, despite the strike. With the WGA and AMPTP resuming talks Wednesday, Maher in a tweet Monday, walked back the return-to-work plan.
My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike. Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this…September 18, 2023
Maher’s retreat follows that of Drew Barrymore. The first host to announce — then abandon — return-to-production plans, Barrymore issued a tearful video apology to the WGA over the weekend.
Maher, who has faced a steady barrage of criticism in recent history, particularly from the left, for hosting figures including billionaire provocateur Elon Musk, ultra-conservative influencer Ben Shapiro and Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone, faced a reinvigorated round of social-media barbs on Monday.
Honestly, sir, stop trying to both-sides this and pretend as if a decision to cross the pickets of 177,000 colleagues hangs on your personal view of how negotiations proceed. If the studios again use this moment to grandstand and declare a "final offer" will you scab some more? https://t.co/P2ZYzKpgS9September 18, 2023
Like everything else about him, this from @BillMaher is pure bullshitReduced from Scumbag SCAB but still Forever Scumbag pic.twitter.com/WBcWEBXJgOSeptember 18, 2023
I love that no one expects Bill Maher to do the right thing.September 17, 2023
