Bill Maher: Having Two National Anthems ‘Leads Down A Road We Don’t Want To Go Down’

Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” warned during an interview on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that having two national anthems was not a road America wants to go down, which comes after he criticized the NFL’s decision to play the black national anthem.

“We’re one country. It’s not a good idea,” Maher told Jimmy Kimmel. “We’ve seen what happens in other countries where you have, you know, when you separate things out, that’s never where America was. That’s never where liberalism was. It was about being a colorblind society. So a new national anthem, fine. I’ll go for that. But not two, because that leads down a road we don’t want to go.”

When asked about uniting the country, Maher had a simple solution: “One of the keys to that is to stop talking about it.”

“Stop talking politics,” he said. “When I was a kid … people didn’t talk politics all the time. … You want to know how to heal America? Shut up. Shut the hell up. Stop talking politics all the time. Stop trying to convince people, it’s a big country with lots of people who don’t think like you and no matter what side you’re on, and you’re not going to convince them, just accept it like you do in a relationship.”

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TRANSCRIPT:

KIMMEL: But when somebody like Whoopi Goldberg, I guess, had an issue with what you were talking about the national anthem at these college football games and professional football games. And you feel–

MAHER: There’s no argument there. I said, first of all, I said, maybe we should get rid of the anthem we have.

KIMMEL: Because it’s not inclusive of everyone?

MAHER: Well, whatever. I just said we shouldn’t have two national anthems. We’re one country. It’s not a good idea. We’ve seen what happens in other countries where you have, you know, when you separate things out, that’s never where America was. That’s never where liberalism was. It was about being a colorblind society. So a new national anthem, fine. I’ll go for that. But not two, because that leads down a road we don’t want to go.

KIMMEL: Hey, there’s a lot of fear in the air. In general, you don’t want to be caught applauding something that might be controversial.

MAHER: I could a f**k.

KIMMEL: Do you think we’re ever going, if there’s ever gonna be a time or do you think it’s possible even that we can come together?

MAHER: Well, I, you know, that’s a great question. And to me, one of the keys to that is to stop talking about it. Stop talking politics. When I was a kid, you may remember the same thing, people didn’t talk politics all the time. There was no Facebook. You know, Facebook should go back to being what it should be, humblebrags, cat videos, finding out who from high school is gay, fatter, dead. But instead, it’s people arguing with some kid you went to third grade with about Brett Kavanaugh. You want to know how to heal America? Shut up. Shut the hell up. Stop talking politics all the time. Stop trying to convince people, it’s a big country with lots of people who don’t think like you and no matter what side you’re on, and you’re not going to convince them, just accept it like you do in a relationship. No, really. You’re married, right? [Crosstalk] You must must know the three most important words in a relationship are not “I love you,” they’re “let it go.”