Bill Maher is a comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Although he has appeared in a fair share of movies and TV shows, Maher is most well-known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show Politically Incorrect (1993–2002).
Throughout his career, Maher has built a reputation for himself due to his somewhat controversial opinions and comments. And on more than one occasion, the comedian and television host has feuded with other celebrities.
For example, he once fought about religion with Stephen Colbert on the latest’s late-night talk show, with Maher admitting that he considered them both to be complete opposites. Does this mean that these two talk show hosts don’t get along?
Bill Maher Has Made Million on HBO’s Acclaimed Political Show, Real Time
Maher began his career as a comedian and actor. In 1979, he became a host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star. Maher then began appearing on Johnny Carson's and David Letterman's shows during the 80s. Shortly, he made limited television appearances on shows such as Sara (1985), Max Headroom (1987), Murder, She Wrote (1989, 1990), and Charlie Hoover (1991). Around this time, he made his feature film debut in D.C. Cab (1983).
Following his success in film and television, Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a late-night political talk show that ran on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and on ABC from 1997 to 2002. The show was surprisingly successful, turning Maher into a major celebrity and an important figure in the modern political landscape. However, Politically Incorrect ended up being canceled following some controversial comments from Maher regarding 9/11.
Although many thought that the end of Politically Incorrect would mark the end of Maher's tenure as a talk show host, this was far from the truth. Thankfully for the comedian, HBO took a chance on him when they launched Real Time with Bill Maher in 2003. This weekly hour-long political comedy talk show became a huge success in no time.
With 21 seasons and more than 600 episodes, Real Time with Bill Maher has been on the air for over two decades now. The success of this talk show has significantly improved Maher’s net worth. According to Yahoo, Maher makes approximately $10 million per year, which comes to around $285,000 per episode, for hosting this HBO show.
Bill Maher And Stephen Colbert Fought About Religion During the Comedian’s Appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
In 2015, Bill Maher appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. During his interview, Maher admitted that he and Colbert are complete opposites and that brought up the topic of religion to prove his point. Although he was raised catholic, Maher is now an atheist. On the other hand, Colbert is catholic and took the opportunity to try to bring Maher back into the fold.
“We’re very opposite. You’re married and religious,” Maher said to The Late Show host. Colbert, who is Catholic, joked that he was not good at practicing his faith before asking Maher to return to the Catholic faith.
“Come on back, Bill. The door is always open. Golden ticket right before you, all you have to do is humble yourself before the presence of the Lord, and admit there are things greater than you in the universe that you do not understand, and salvation awaits you,” Colbert said. “Take Pascal’s wager: If you’re wrong, you’re an idiot, but if I’m right, you’re going to hell.”
To this, Maher responded, “I do admit there are things in the universe I don’t understand, but my response to that is not to make up silly stories. Or to believe intellectually embarrassing myths from the Bronze Age, but you believe whatever you want.”
And after Colbert explained that he felt that believing in God gave him a “connection” to his ancestors, Maher responded, “These were men who did not know what a germ or an atom was, or where the sun went at night, and that’s where you’re getting your wisdom. Anyway, But let’s not argue.”
Are Bill Maher And Stephen Colbert Feuding?
While Bill Maher and Stephen Colbert’s little discussion on The Late Show didn’t escalate, it would seem that these two talk hosts don’t really get along. Most recently, Dave Rubin shared a clip of Bill Maher telling Rubin on his Club Random podcast appearance that he and Stephen Colbert can’t stand each other.
“Colbert and I are not friends.” Maher admitted to Rubin, adding, “he doesn’t like me and I don’t like him.” Maher would later agree with a number of critiques made by Dave Rubin during the podcast episode in the idea that Colbert feeds the mainstream machine.
As for why Maher has developed a sort of feud with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert, it’s highly possible it has to do with their views on the pandemic.
Maher turned out to be a skeptic of the COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdowns and vaccination regulations, while Colbert was openly critical of nearly any pandemic skepticism, often mocking those who shared these beliefs.
