I only opened this post to see if he'd mellowed with age.

Just filled with Maher's personal prejudices and a lot less funny. Political humor meets shock jock. Occasionally, I agree with him on some issues, just as often I don't. Like most curmudgeon types, he just can't leave people the hell alone.

I've never liked or understood him or his humor.

Just imagine one rung up the evolutionary bro-scale from Joe Rogan’s fans.

He's been running the gamut of interviews: Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro and Dennis Prager
I guess he could go lower... just not sure where that is. CPAC?

intolerant the left is on other people's views.

I don't need Maher to listen to right wing propaganda, as if I wanted to anyway

way back when he was oogling and gushing all over ann coulter as if she ever deserved it. That was all I could stomach.

Why would he think these comments were acceptable for public broadcast? There is nothing cool about child abuse, and this damn guy should know that.

He is intelligent enough to know the danger of his “othering” comments.

There isn't one core belief in that man. I can't watch him either.

out of their minds

When he was pushing the goat milk cures HIV, what a jerk he was.

https://www.salon.com/2016/02/03/bill_maher_gets_cozy_with_the_goat_milk_cures_hiv_quack_if_truth_is_dead_and_the_internet_killed_it_maher_is_part_of_the_problem/

His not so subtle anti-vaxer bullshit has been going on for some time, and marginalizing the Covid vaccines, and Dr. Fauci, bordering on conspiracy theory crap is not only disgusting, but dangerous to those who followed it. ONE MILLION DEAD is NOT just because they were "over weight", and that doesn't even come close to the long haulers who got the virus.

His anti-Muslim and his misogyny has been going on for years.

His "cancel cuture" bullshit, only applies to those who disagree with him.

I can't watch him.

Pompous is not appealing and he is all that.

My hubby was still watching him and finally gave him up also. I guess Bill likes being caustic and stir up his viewers as he becomes MAGA.

He was awful toward Hillary during the 2016 election and I stopped watching him. He has a bitter streak that has zero appeal.

I stopped watching some years ago. He just gets worse and worse

Misogynist asshole.

I'll still occasionally find an old Carson or Leno rerun. Those guys were funny. While Letterman wasn't my favorite, he's far above any of today's crop.

He is the only thing I watch on HBO.

If so, may want to re-read what group you're posting in...

I watched once or twice, many years ago, and couldn’t stomach him. Even if I didn’t disagree with what he said I wanted to smack the smirk off his face. So unappealing. I’m amazed he’s still around.

and openly question things, stupid or not, he doesn’t have to be right. He is a fierce democrat who is correct to ridicule some of the stupidest, self defeating slogans coming out from some dems like “abolish the police”, “forgive all student debt”, etc. Establishment dems know he is on to something when speaker Pelosi is highlighting Eric Adams as great at messaging. BM is a huge fan of Eric Adams. BM has been trying hard to figure out the right messaging for dems to reach out to rural America. We need to be thinking like gop when it comes to elections and focus 100% on winning only, not freaking policy (that comes later).

Do you agree the rise in lgbtq and trans among youth is trendy?

One other question, what did you think when he said if Build Back Better passed he'd have become a Republican

You're right, Laffy Kat -- don't click on the link. It might be offensive.

So do we not call out racists, either? Is one hate more acceptable than another?

After all, we have to hear both sides, right?

You do know this is the LGBT group, right?

He likes trans people about as much as Abbott and DeSantis do. It isn't "just having his thoughts" this week. This has been going on for years, which is why many of us dumped his smarmy, rabble-rousing bigoted bro ass years ago.

Why go after an already attacked and marginalized group that has difficulty defending itself to start?

...but it's still assholery.

And that was before he hopped on the "blame the audience if they don't laugh at my jokes" bandwagon many years ago.

Maher too often paints with a broad brush and throws shade in his smug condescending way.

On Friday I did not think he exhibited "transphobia," and in fact expressed support for LGBTQ folks to live their lives. What he came out against was medical procedures and puberty blockers for children, arguing that kids go through phases and life altering procedures at a young age are not a good idea. He also pointed to statistics showing a steep rise in the LGBTQ percent among young people, calling it "trendy "

The only thing I partially agreed with has to do with life altering procedures for pre pubescent children. I don't know enough about it and would not say it should never be done. Among some children cross gender identity is so strong and evidently unalterable that early medical procedures may be necessary a happy adulthood. But in other cases, it may be wise to hold off on procedures.

This really is a decision for the family, their counselor, and their physician. Bill Maher is at best unhelpful and more likely part of the problem when he thrusts his political proposals into such intensely private matters.

Years ago I enjoyed his show even when I disagreed, but what infuriated me was how ill prepared he was to counter the rapid fire BS of guests like Steve Bannon. When Maher couldn't effectively rebut Bannon's false rhetoric he just said OK and moved on to the next point he failed to make.

And yes, Maher's frequent rants against "cancel culture" and what he views as the lunatic left all too often lacks nuance and context, giving the impression that the left -- and by extension the Democratic Party -- is just as much off the rails as the dangerous nutjobs on the right (who are much more mainstream in the Republican Party than his targets on the left are with the Democratic Party).

It was hateful and untrue and dangerous. The medical professionals who ultimately decide to initiate therapy do, indeed, know more about it than you do and I trust those professionals. Puberty blockers can be stopped and their effects can be reversed, that's why these medications usually have to be taken over a lifetime. Obviously, most surgery is irreversible but those steps are rarely taken before adulthood. If the medications can help the emotional well-being of a transgender child and reduce suicide I'm 100% behind them.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gender-dysphoria/in-depth/pubertal-blockers/art-20459075

Is gender identity EVER a lifestyle choice that someone can adopt or discard at will?

On multiple occasions I've posted or shared the Sharon Underwood letter, which I consider to be a powerful testament that it is not simply a choice.

Thank you for that information.

I remember during the 2016 election he was saying he would put aside his "pet" cause (pot legalization) and that LGBTQ+ activists should put their "pet" cause aside (bathroom bills), because they distract from the goal of defeating Trump. He called fighting the bathroom bills "college campus pet peeves" as though trans people weren't being beaten and killed for just existing in public spaces.

He called it a "boutique" issue.

You can watch his comments here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bill-maher-boutique-donald-trump_n_57a5819ee4b056bad215aca1

Hey, Bill! Have you ever faced a single consequence for smoking weed illegally? This was really my final straw with Maher. I think he's generally a smart guy, but he's got enormous blind spots.

He agrees with him on so many social issues. Is it because he wants his pot and Drumpf is anti-pot?

I also look how us trying to live on lives in peace are "pet issues". This guy is such an asshole.

Demonizing trans people is the new gay marriage bashing. I'm sure many of DU still can give a shit about us in the trans community. We are just the minority that is expandable to be abused for the greater part when it comes to winning

We've seen it, especially here in 2022. And hell, we've seen it here in this thread, where Bill Maher spewing transphobia is just "having a thought", and we're mean ol' bullies who won't let him have a thought.

Disgusting. And even more disgusting that it seems to be as bad as ever.

What's the think? Oh totally cool for him to say its trendy. Yeah kids know the risks ita not a fucking trend. Nothing to think about outside of transphobia

He's always been transphobic. I think the only thing shocking about this week's attack on trans youth is that it took this long to happen.

As has the anti-vax bullshit. Now he has added the right-wing's hatred of trans children. Hell, let's face it, he doesn't like any children, as he has so often made clear. To me, that is a huge red flag regarding a person's character. I can 100% understanding not wanting to have children as a normal and valid lifestyle choice, but to dislike kids is messed up in my opinion. I do realize many people are simply uncomfortable around little ones but that's different.

Like mind your own damn business you fucking old man screaming at a cloud

He's said more than once he doesn't like children. Which is... scary. I've had no desire to have kids of my own, but, it's not a case of "I don't like them".. It's questioning whether I'm parenting material.

A few people upthread have called him out for his misogyny toward Hillary in 2016. I can believe it. I didn't see it, because by that point I'd quit watching him at all. But I sure can believe it happened with his track record. I was tired after what had already been a few years of transphobia, and no longer cared to hear him at all anymore.

I'm not sure why people think he's a political genius. He's not. He merely holds his finger to the wind, sees what the big issues are, and then takes the most controversial (or hateful) take he can on that topic to get people riled up.

As for the ones thinking he's progressive? Why? Since when is punching down on everyone but straight white males "progressive"?

I consider Libertarians conservatives who smoke pot.

A libertarian. He's said so more than once. I do truly think the only reason he "supports" Democrats is for the sake of his pot being legal. He sure doesn't seem to have anything nice to say about any vulnerable groups. He couldn't hide his misogyny in 2016 over Hillary. He loves to tell LGBTQ's and others to be quiet about their "pet issues" and stay out of the way. He can't even hide his dislike for children.

I honestly think if a pro-pot Republican (not a Pol Pot Republican) came along, he'd gladly ditch the whole charade and back them. Because he agrees with the QOP far more often than he disagrees with the Democrats, especially on social matters.

Yet, somehow, he has fooled so many people into think he's a good guy and on our side...

Wasn't trendy when I was growing up. Wasn't trendy in the 2000's. And isn't trendy today, thanks to the constant cycle of hate we've seen from the QOP.

The only thing "trendy" about the trans community is being tranphobic scum like Bill Maher is.

I'm not about to sacrifice my entire life to be "trendy" Fuck off with that noise

It's why some of us gave up on his phony "liberalism" and his show many, many years ago. Ohhh, sure, he may agree with the Democrats on some things. But not enough. And when it comes to the trans community, he's not a friend. He never has been, and I doubt he ever will be.

Despite that, he's said enough over the years to fool a lot of people into thinking he's a friend and ally to progressive causes. Plus, of course, some people here don't think very much of trans people either, so, they aren't bothered one but by Maher's transphobic bullshit.

Fuck Maher. And fuck his phony victim bullshit.