TV host Bill Maher has warned that the Democratic Party will continue losing elections unless it distances itself from “woke” Hollywood celebrities, arguing that the entertainment industry has become a political liability.
Speaking to the California Post, the longtime “Real Time” host said Democrats need to stop letting celebrities speak for the party.
“Hollywood [is] sort of the epicenter of the woke left,” Maher said.
“I don’t think they’re doing the Democratic Party any favors.
“I think if Democrats want to win elections in the future, job one, tell the celebrities to ‘Just shut the f— up. You’re not helping. You don’t strike people in most of the country as sensible or in touch with reality.’”
Maher, a self-described liberal, has increasingly clashed with progressive activists over what he views as ideological excesses on the left, drawing criticism from Democrats who accuse him of aiding conservatives by calling out woke culture.
Backlash From Hollywood Peers
Earlier this month, comedian Wanda Sykes took a swipe at Maher during the Golden Globes while presenting the award for Best Stand-Up Comedy Performance.
It’s a category in which Maher was nominated for his HBO special, “Is Anyone Else Seeing This?”
“Bill Maher, you give us so much,” Sykes said.
“But I would love a little less.”
Maher’s special included pointed criticism of modern campus culture, where he described colleges as “four-year daycare [centers] for the crybullies of the privileged,” adding:
“You wonder why the left catches more jokes from me?
“They changed, not me, OK?”
The award ultimately went to Ricky Gervais, who did not attend the ceremony.
Sykes accepted the award on his behalf, thanking the “trans community,” a jab referencing previous criticism of Gervais’s anti-woke comedy by left-wing activist groups, including GLAAD.
Maher Calls Out ‘Woke’ Awards Culture
Maher said the Golden Globes snubbed voices that don’t align with progressive orthodoxy, including Joe Rogan, whose massively popular podcast was excluded from the Globes’ new podcast category.
“It was typical and predictable and also ridiculous that Joe Rogan wouldn’t be nominated in a category that he dominates,” Maher told the California Post.
Rogan’s The Joe Rogan Experience consistently ranks above competitors across Spotify, Apple, and YouTube, yet the inaugural Best Podcast award went to Good Hang with Amy Poehler, which trails Rogan’s show in audience reach.
Maher said the omission was emblematic of Hollywood’s ideological bubble.
“I speak freely, and this woke town f—ing hates that,” he said previously on his Club Random podcast.
“And that’s okay. I’ve made my peace with that.”
Last week, Maher doubled down during a conversation with Dana Carvey and David Spade, blasting the Globes as “f—ing smug a–holes” and criticizing the nominations as “super woke stuff.”
“They only nominated like the super woke stuff,” Maher said.
“I mean, it is kind of popular.”
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