Skip to contentPhysical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The liberal media fell for the comedian Bill MaherHBO’s new stand-up channel is urging viewers to “STOP IT.”
Reviewers from MSNBC.com, Decider, Salon and Cracked praised the special, which aired on January 10, “Is Anyone Else Seeing This?” as “lazy” and perf. They also picked up on the comedian’s jokes that poked fun at far-left ideology.
“Nothing exciting here, and nothing you don’t already see or hear from him most weekends in real time, so SKIP,” wrote Decider’s Sean McCarthy in his Monday review.
Special Maher has been targeting fringes left and right, mocking everything from MAGA to the “woke” culture. He also took a dig at President-elect Donald Trump, saying he might “blow up the world on day one” and quipping about having his “ear pierced” during last year’s assassination attempt.
BILL MAHER DISMISSES SPECULATION ON HOBBY SHOW: ‘I NEED TO BE DRAGGED’
A slew of liberal outlets have slammed HBO host Bill Maher with scathing reviews of his new comedy special. (Screenshot/HBO)
McCarthy chided the comedian for the lack of memorable or edgy material, saying it didn’t open up opportunities for his audience.
“Maher thinks he’s found a comfortable way out, saying he’s a liberal centrist who only seemed to move to the right because liberals are ‘too woke,'” he said, adding, “It’s not so much a place for comedians, it’s how it a place for those Americans who have already created a comfortable lifestyle for themselves and don’t want to be disturbed by anything outside the bubble.”
“Real talk: Maher seems incapable or unwilling to listen or learn. Like too many people radicalized through social media feeds, Maher’s comedy is stuck in its own bubble,” he said, adding: “This is comedy for people who still post on Facebook, still forward email threads and still watch his show.”
In a review titled “Bill Maher Serves Up an Old Reheated Beef in a New Dish,” MSNBC.com columnist Jacques Berlinerblau described the special as a “pretty sluggish set”.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE MEDIA AND CULTURE ENCOURAGEMENT
“That’s partly because Maher’s stance on these issues is so well known that his edginess comes as no surprise. Nor does he seem willing to invest in the craft necessary to make his stand-up material edgy or thought-provoking.” – the reviewer explained.
Berlinerblau added that Maher isn’t even self-aware enough to criticize the fact that he “seems to have turned into an old conservative white guy who shakes his fist against Generation Z and new gender categories and EpiPens and everything else that’s 1964 year did not exist”.
Matt Solomon of Cracked.com surprised Maher’s special by comparing it to a comedy by another artist he seemed to despise.
“Veteran comic makes the same lazy arguments Rob Schneider makes when a podcast host offers him a mic and a chair: The left is trying to take away his free speech and everyone but the comic is crazy,” he wrote.
Solomon continued, “He hates victims, and yet the irony escapes him when he cries for all those who would suppress his free speech. (Another irony: in the end, no one tried to silence Bill Maher.)”
Bill Maher on the set of his “Club Random” podcast. (Screenshot/Club Random Media)
His review concluded with a plea for Maher to end his stand-up career. He wrote: “Back in May, Maher told Jerry Seinfeld that this HBO special could be his last. With his TV show and podcasts doing well, it may be time to move on. “After this year, I’m going to stop (doing stand-up),” he promised after watching “Does Anyone Else See This?” I have one question: Bill, can we get this in writing?
Maher confirmed to CNN’s Jake Tapper that he will likely retire from his stand-up career soon, though he insisted he will continue with “HBO”Real Time with Bill Maher.“
Senior critic at Salon.com Melanie McFarland described the special as a “lazy comedy”, saying it was made up of material “the best clowns put together years ago”.
McFarland mocked Maher, stating, “How about the latest news? Maher hates a culture of repeal that doesn’t exist and “whack-ism,” a jaded right-wing specter that no one can define. Maher proclaims his support for the trans community in the same way that every other hacker comic does, in that he says the obligatory words to make the audience feel comfortable with the uninspired observations that follow.”
Seemingly addressing complaints from progressives about his targeting of the far left, Maher made it clear in a special message that he sees Republicans, Trump and the political far right as a greater threat to the country because of their refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 election, but he added: “I don’t keep my mouth shut for anyone.”
Bill Maher discussed his past calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race before it became fashionable in his new comedy special. (Screenshot/HBO – Getty Images)
“Don’t tell me the left hasn’t changed,” Maher said. “So you can threaten me with any label you want. I do not bend the knee. If you do something stupid, I will call you out no matter where you are on the spectrum. I’m talking to a different group of people who have not been ideologically captured by either the Democrats or independent Republicans, this is my electorate.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Maher also touched on transgender ideology, free speech, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, his past calls for President Biden to drop out of the race and more in the hour-long special.
