Summary
- Roseanne Barr and Bill Maher have a history of disagreements, but Maher has always given her a chance to speak.
- Barr started their interview by criticizing Maher's "dirty" hands, leading to a heated exchange.
- Despite their differences, Barr and Maher eventually found common ground and had a loving interaction.
Roseanne Barr took less than 2 minutes to launch in on her pal Bill Maher during her superb November 2023 appearance on his podcast, Club Random. While Barr and Maher go way back, they have never seen eye to eye on a number of key issues. This did not go unnoticed during their lengthy conversation online. And it's precisely what started their heated debate at the top of the interview.
Here's what sparked the heated debate that spiraled into one of the most bizarre and hilarious interviews Maher has ever done...
Roseanne Barr Yelled At Bill Maher During An Interview On His Podcast
Roseanne Bar, who lost millions when her show was pulled from syndication, has never been shy about sharing her opinions. This includes her unapologetic support for Donald Trump during an interview with Jimmy Fallon. It's one of the main reasons she's stirred up so much controversy over the years. Although far more serious comments have seen her ousted from Hollywood.
But unlike many Barr speaks to, Bill Maher is happy to actually have a discussion with her instead of jumping to cancel her. Their relationship goes back many years, and while Maher vehemently disagrees with certain things Barr says, he has always given her the chance to speak. But he certainly didn't let her walk all over him during their November 2023 interview on his podcast.
As soon as Barr sat down on Club Random, she chastised Bill Maher for using his "dirty" hands to scoop out ice from the ice bucket. This prompted Maher to joke that he had treated the ice with chemicals to avoid germs.
"I bet you did! You're all pro-chemical and pro-Monsanto and all that crazy s***," Barr quickly replied.
"I am so not--"
"Are you s****ing me!? The s*** you say drives me berzerk!"
Maher, who seemed to already have his guard up, then reached out a hand to Barr to try and calm her down.
"Okay, you can attack me on many things but--"
"I'm not attacking you, I'm just conversing! Listen--"
"No, I want to straighten you out on something..."
"Straighten me out!?" Barr responded with a raised voice. "B****, you don't even know!"
She then continued by yelling,
"You won't 'straighten me out', I'm 70!"
Barr then demanded that Maher put down his hand on the arm of his chair. While Maher was initially hesitant, Barr quickly softened her tone and grabbed his hand tenderly.
"I love you," Barr said authentically.
"Wow, what a 180 that was," Maher joked.
"I love you, and I don't want to hurt you -- leave your f***ing hand there -- I washed mine," Barr responded. "Listen, I love you. And I want to bring everyone together to see they're getting screwed and robbed. Okay? Are we on the same page about that?"
"Yeah," Maher said, a little confused as to the shift in energy.
"Okay, now let's talk," Barr said, releasing Maher's hand.
Maher then tried to explain his position on Monsanto, the agrochemical and agricultural biotech company. According to The New York Times, Bill Maher has always been vocal about his distrust of the pharmaceutical industry and chemically enhanced food. In fact, he has done numerous editorials on it on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher. He has also been skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine. These are the same positions that Roseanne Barr has (more or less), therefore Maher was confused as to why she jumped down his throat so energetically at the outset of their Club Random interview.
It should be noted that Bill Maher and Roseanne Barr do not share the precise opinion regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Maher has been skeptical about the vaccine being appropriate for young, healthier individuals but has admitted it's been useful for those who are at higher risk of severe complications of contracting COVID-19. He has also been against vaccine mandates, according to various editorials and interviews on his HBO show. Barr, however, claimed in her interview with Maher that "they" have been trying to "kill" people with vaccines. Barr's opinion is not shared by Maher nor does it have any concrete facts to back it up.
Bill Maher is known for having fiery interactions with a number of his Club Random podcast guests, including what went down between him and Neil deGrasse Tyson. However, Maher has a strong relationship with the vast majority of these individuals. Having open, passionate dialogue seems to be the bedrock of many of Bill Maher's relationships.
Roseanne Barr Claims To Have Gotten Into A Fist Fight With Bill Maher
Bill Maher is three years younger than Roseanne Barr and therefore came up in the comedy world around the same time. Therefore, they've had quite a history with one another. While they have not always seen eye-to-eye, Maher has come out in defense of his longtime friend. During her interview with Maher on his Club Random podcast, Barr claimed that the Real Time host almost always got when she was trying to be funny. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he has been defensive of her over the years.
However, Maher and Barr have deep political disagreements, partly because he doesn't quite understand where she lands politically. Time and time again, Barr appears to contradict herself. This is something the Roseanne star seems to enjoy. While discussing her confusing ideology, Barr revealed that she and Maher got into a fistfight over their differing views decades ago.
"Remember when me and yous got into that fistfight at the Playboy mansion?"
"Fistfight at the Playboy mansion? You think I would remember a thing like that," Maher responded, laughing.
"Right by the aviary there," Barr continued. "When we were both drunk and all f***ed up? You called me something and I called you something. Remember that?"
"I don't, but I'm not denying it," Maher admitted. "In fact, I love that it happened! I love that I got into a fistfight with Roseanne--"
"I socked you right in the jaw and you hit me back."
"No, I didn't."
"I always hit men first to see if they'll hit me back."
"No, I didn't [hit you back]."
"Yeah you did! Right in the shoulder," Barr said before claiming he was under a mind control program that made him forget all about it.
Whether Barr and Maher actually got into a physical interaction remains to be seen. However, it's certainly true that they have a friendship that is filled with heated interactions and debates.
