Bill Maher is making a bold move by returning to work without his writers. The comedian announced on social media that his show, Real Time with Bill Maher, will be back on HBO with an original episode on September 22 at 10pm. Maher is the first late-night host to return to air, leaving his fellow hosts from the Strike Force Five podcast, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, behind for now.
In a controversial decision, Maher’s show will continue despite his writing team being in the midst of a four-month strike. Other talk show hosts, like Drew Barrymore, have faced backlash from their writers, and even The Talk was picketed during a run-through at CBS Radford.
Last week, Maher stirred up controversy when he shared his opinions on the strike during his Club Random podcast. He referred to some of the writers’ demands as “kooky” and criticized their belief that they are entitled to a living as writers. Maher argued that show business is a competitive industry where success is not guaranteed.
Due to the absence of writers, Maher’s monologue, desk piece, and New Rules segment will be cut from the show, just as they were during the 2007/08 strike. Instead, the format will consist of panel discussions with Maher and his guests.
“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing,” Maher expressed on social media. “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and I hope they are addressed to their satisfaction. However, they are not the only ones with issues, problems, and concerns.”
Real Time with Bill Maher, which has been renewed by Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network through 2024, is executive produced by Maher, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, and Billy Martin. Chris Kelly serves as co-executive producer, Matt Wood as producer, and Paul Casey as director.
