Despite the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, comedian Bill Maher made an announcement on Wednesday that his HBO show “Real Time” will be returning without its writers.
Maher’s decision follows his recent remarks where he referred to the strike demands as “kooky.” This move is similar to what actor and television host Drew Barrymore announced earlier, stating that her talk show will also resume without the Writers Guild of America writers. However, Barrymore has faced backlash and has consequently been dropped as the host of the National Book Awards Ceremony.
“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work,” Maher said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The WGA strike began in May and subsequently gained support from striking actors in the union known as SAG-AFTRA, who initiated their strike in July. The writers are demanding better pay and residuals, larger writers’ rooms, and protection against the impact of artificial intelligence.
“The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and I hope they are resolved to their satisfaction. However, they are not the only ones facing issues, problems, and concerns,” Maher continued on X. “Despite my assistance, many of the staff members are struggling. We were all hopeful that this would end after Labor Day, but unfortunately, nothing seems to be happening. I have great respect for my fellow writers, as I am one myself, but I cannot afford to lose an entire year and witness the suffering of so many below-the-line workers.”
Maher states that he will “honor the spirit of the strike” by excluding any written pieces from the show.
“I want to make it clear to the audience that the show I will be hosting without my writers will not be on par with our usual standards. However, the essence of the show lies in our spontaneous panel discussions that aim to cut through the nonsense and predictable partisanship. That will continue, and the show will not disappoint,” he added.
In a podcast episode of “Club Random,” Maher voiced his criticism of the WGA strike.
“They’re asking for a lot of things that are, quite frankly, unreasonable,” Maher shared with stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan during the podcast. “What bothers me about the strike’s philosophy is that they have deviated significantly from the 2007 strike, where they believed that being a writer entitled you to a comfortable living. This is the entertainment industry. It’s a competitive field where success isn’t guaranteed.”
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