After Getting the Vaccine, Bill Maher Tests Positive for COVID
Bill Maher, the liberal host of HBO’s “Real Time,” tested positive this week for the coronavirus, despite the fact that he was fully vaccinated.
The news broke late Thursday afternoon when the “Real Time with Bill Maher” Twitter account announced the planned taping for the Friday evening show was scrapped and would be rescheduled.
The advisory also noted Maher was experiencing no symptoms.
“Bill tested positive during weekly staff PCR testing for COVID,” the show tweeted. “He is fully vaccinated and as a result is asymptomatic and feels fine.”
“Real Time production has taken every precaution following COVID CDC guidelines,” the tweet added. “No other staff or crew members have tested positive at this time.”
— Real Time with Bill Maher (@RealTimers) May 13, 2021
Maher himself also took to Twitter to thank the fans of his show for wishing him well.
“Thanks to all wishing me get well – hard to do since I feel perfectly fine, but I appreciate it!” he tweeted. “Most upset about ending my streak going back to 1993 of never missing a Politically Incorrect or Real Time episode. Oh well, even Cal Ripken had to sit one out at some point.”
Thanks to all wishing me get well – hard to do since I feel perfectly fine, but I appreciate it! Most upset about ending my streak going back to 1993 of never missing a Politically Incorrect or Real Time episode. Oh well, even Cal Ripken had to sit one out at some point.
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) May 14, 2021
Maher has been a favorite for liberal viewers dating back to his original ABC show, “Politically Incorrect.”
In the last several years, though, the famously left-wing host has angered many on his side of the aisle for calling them out over everything from hypocrisy in policy and COVID hysteria to cancel culture.
The fervent atheist and anti-Trump host in February made waves when he challenged cancel culture warriors. The host in fact declared cancel culture to be “over,” and also challenged “wokeness.”
WARNING: the following video contains language some viewers may find offensive.
“Liberals need a stand-your-ground law for cancel culture. So that when the woke mob comes after you for some ridiculous offense, you’ll stand your ground, stop apologizing, because I can’t keep up anymore with who’s on the s*** list,” the host said.
“Lately, Republicans have been trying to appropriate the term cancel culture to describe what happens to them when they get a just comeuppance for actual crimes,” he said. “And this muddying the water is unfortunate because cancel culture is real, it’s insane, and it’s growing exponentially. And it’s coming to a neighborhood near you.”
Maher even went as far as to defend actress Gina Carano, who was fired by Disney’s “The Mandalorian” over posts she shared online which the company found problematic.
“Gina Carano is a person I’d never heard of and resent that I have now,” Maher said. “She’s some conservative wrestling chick who kicks a** on a show I wouldn’t watch if I was in prison. And she made some Nazi analogy,” he said. “Who doesn’t these days? ‘You’re like the Nazis’ is the new ‘I don’t like you.’ It’s always okay when Trump’s the Nazi.”
“‘By the way, you can’t work in Hollywood if you don’t believe what we believe.’ Yeah, in the ’50s, that’s exactly what the left complained they were being told,” he also said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
