Calls are growing for Bill Maher to be fired after the HBO host made the racist term “house ni**a” a punchline.
An interview with Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) turned into this:
Lesson for Bill Maher: You can have black friends, black guests, even black dates, but that doesn't make you black. pic.twitter.com/DSFIchu5JB
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 3, 2017
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When Maher has made comments like this in the past, he has usually relied on the defense that he is a comedian. However, this time, the outrage isn’t only coming from hypocritical right wing circles that support Trump.
Here are some responses to Maher’s comments:
It isn’t just that @billmaher said “house nigger†on the air. It’s that he used it as a punchline. Are you laughing? pic.twitter.com/c9DA7APyr5
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) June 3, 2017
But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable. pic.twitter.com/K5XlEjekQ9
— deray mckesson (@deray) June 3, 2017
And why did the audience think it was okay to laugh? And Ben Sasse doesn't even flinch. What is happening in the world?
— deray mckesson (@deray) June 3, 2017
We can't control what others do or say. But we can control what we do or say. I for one, will not use the "n-word". Just too ugly & hurtful. https://t.co/njfvlaYBGY
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) June 3, 2017
Lesson for Bill Maher: You can have black friends, black guests, even black dates, but that doesn't make you black. pic.twitter.com/DSFIchu5JB
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 3, 2017
if you excuse bill maher's racism and islamophobia because he rips trump regularly, you're not any better than hannity shilling for trump
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) June 3, 2017
Bill Maher is some who has defended Rush Limbaugh in the past. Anyone who has listened to Maher talk about Muslims for roughly seven seconds understands that this wasn’t a mistake, nor is this kind of talk anything new for him.
Let’s not pretend like Bill Maher is superior because he criticizes Trump. If a conservative said this, there would be outrage. There is just no excuse for what he said, and the ‘I’m a comedian and anybody who criticizes me is being politically correct rant’ past its sell by date 20 years ago.
HBO has stuck with Maher in the past when he has danced with bigotry, sexism, and racism, so no one should hold their breath waiting for an apology or for the Real Time host to be fired.
It is most likely that Maher will respond with another lecture about ‘political correctness’ and how kids these days just can’t take a joke.
What Maher said was wrong on so many levels. He has a right to say it, but you also have a right to stop watching his show or to cancel your subscription to HBO, because freedom is a two-way street.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
