There's no shortage of people who believe that Bill Maher is controversial. In fact, there's been a number of things he's said that have nearly gotten him canceled.
But while some loathe Bill his political positions, others adore him. The reason the comedian and host of HBO's Real Time is so successful is that he appeals to those who think the extremes on both the left and the right are ridiculous.
Bill says it as it is. Or, at least, how he feels it is. But even with all of the controversy that he's gotten himself into, he's nowhere near the most divisive part of his show.
Real Time With Bill Maher isn't a "safe space". Instead, it's a place where conflicting ideas can be debated with an element of respect. Because of this, Bill has been able to attract a number of fantastic guests. But not every one of these guests has been greeted with open arms.
Since the majority of Bill's audience tends to be left-of-center, they tend to get up-in-arms when an outspoken center-right individual is invited on. In some cases, the guests the Bill has booked caused a straight-up uproar.
Here are his most controversial guests...
9 Jordan Peterson
The Canadian psychologist, professor, author, and intellectual may not be remotely controversial to his millions of fans, but others absolutely loathe him. Regardless, his presence on Real Time brought in tons of viewers. At the time of this writing, his appearance has received the most views on Youtube. While some of Jordan's views have been totally warped by the press into something far more malicious than they actually are, others have been seen as deeply offensive. At any rate, his appearance offered a fascinating discussion that Bill clearly enjoyed. He even went so far to say, "Everything this man says, I think, is common sense."
8 Colion Noir
The former NRA TV gun show host has caused numerous controversies due to his love of the weapon. He, of course,e has his fans due to the NRA's reach as well as his appearances on the Joe Rogan podcast. But Colion remains a fairly controversial figure despite, according to Bill, making some good points about guns. Bill clearly enjoyed him as a guest since he came armed with information and is a good public speaker. But that didn't win everyone over.
7 Christopher Hitchens
For many, the late Christopher Hitchens was one of the foremost thinkers of his generation. He proudly was one of the Four Horseman Of Athiesism and was never afraid to take on religious thinkers with his incredible academic mind. Of course, these opinions made him controversial amongst the religious communities. But even some who liked his opinions found other things he had to say offensive. Simultaneously, however, he made a number of comments that many believed were sexist, according to Vanity Fair, and anti-Jewish, according to The Forward. During his appearance on Bill Maher, he even flipped off the audience when they booed him.
6 Kellyanne Conway
Bill has known Kellyanne Conway for years. She was on Politically Incorrect and Real Time many times prior to becoming former President Donald Trump's campaign manager. It was surprising that she chose to come on his show again after Bill repeatedly slammed Trump and even got into a lawsuit with him after he compared Trump to an orangutan. Still, Kellyanne came on the show a few times during her Trump years despite getting booed by Bill's crowd. There's no doubt that her views on Trump make her controversial... they even did with her own daughter.
5 Roger Stone
Roger Stone is one of Trump's supporters who was actually charged for his illegal activities tied to the former President's campaign. Aside from his criminality, it's his views that made him so controversial. According to The Guardian, he has also been caught using racial slurs.
4 Ben Shapiro
Like his friend Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro raked up enormous views on Youtube when he first appeared on Real Time. Similarly, his second appearance was equally well-viewed. Bill is open about the fact that he and Ben disagree on a lot. For one, Ben is far more conservative than Bill. Secondly, they disagree on religion. Ben is an Orthodox Jew while Bill is also part-Jewish but is an Atheist. Still, the two get along as they focus on the areas where they agree. Bill also knows Ben is a great guest. Not only is he outspoken, but he's easily one of the quickest thinkers around. But that doesn't mean some of the things he's said, particularly about the trans community, aren't deeply offensive.
3 Steve Bannon
Trump's former chief strategist received a ton of press when he appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher in 2018. The former Breitbart editor hasn't gotten out of trouble since. The man seems to feed off of controversy. Or, at the very least, is passionate about opinions that many believe are straight-up wrong. Bill had no problem trying to take him to tasks on various topics.
2 Ann Coulter
Everything that comes out of Ann Coulter's mouth is seen as offensive to... well... almost everyone. Even conservatives seem to find her ultra-right-wing politics too much for them. She's basically persona-non-grata in the Republican party but she's still regularly booked on Real Time. This is because she is one of the celebrities that Bill is actually friends with. While he disagrees with everything Ann says, the two have some sort of friendship. But that doesn't stop the press from commenting on how controversial she is after every single one of her appearances.
1 Milo Yiannopoulos
It's hard to write anything about Milo Yiannopoulos as almost everything he's ever said or done has offended somebody. That's the brand he openly peddles in. Despite once being an out gay man (he declared himself "ex-gay" in March 2021), he has railed against LGBTQ+ rights. Among the many things one should know about the former Breitbart editor is the fact that he's been openly sexist, Islamophobic, hated on The BLM movement, went after a Jewish journalist with N*zi propaganda, and even made apologies for pedophiles. There's no doubt that he's the most controversial guest in Real Tiem history. While Bill held his own with Milo and attempted to find some common ground, most of their interview was highly contentious.
