Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher predicted a 2028 presidential victory for Republicans in general — and perhaps for Vice President JD Vance specifically — if New York City elects Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor.
Maher argued on his podcast that Mamdani, who garnered national attention when he bested disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in the June Democratic primary, was essentially a walking, talking advertisement for the Republican Party as he pushed for radical changes in New York.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨Bill Maher says Zohran Mamdani will help &#8220;ELECT JD VANCE&#8221; — or another GOP nominee — in 2028 if he becomes NYC mayor🚨
&#8220;Don’t tell me that who the mayor of New York is doesn’t matter.&#8221;
&#8220;He definitely has the power and influence to elect JD Vance — or whoever is the Republican… <a href="https://t.co/0zBTxMs5QF">pic.twitter.com/0zBTxMs5QF</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1951634166153359619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;New York is New York!&#8221; Maher explained. &#8220;It&#8217;s the media capital, it&#8217;s the financial capital. It is a bellwether like no other city is in this country. So don’t tell me that who the mayor of New York is doesn’t matter.&#8221;
Maher&#8217;s guest, progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, asked Maher whether he actually believed that Mamdani — who has advocated for a number of radical socialist changes with regard to taxation, housing, and other issues — could actually drive the kind of change as the Mayor of New York City.
&#8220;He definitely has the power and influence to elect JD Vance — or whoever is the Republican candidate next time,&#8221; Maher pushed back, arguing that everything Mamdani did would likely create opposition. &#8220;It is a walking commercial for the Republican Party nationally. When you let the Democrat socialists, and now they&#8217;re actually calling themselves social — let them take over a major American city, this is what you get: the state-run grocery stores, which worked so well in Cuba and the Soviet Union and Venezuela. Just bad ideas, and again, this ugly streak, ugly streak of antisemitism.&#8221;
&#8220;Who&#8217;s the most popular politician on the Left?&#8221; Cohen challenged Maher.
&#8220;AOC?&#8221; Maher guessed.
&#8220;One of, but who&#8217;s — Bernie, you know Bernie is — he&#8217;s not a capitalist, you know,&#8221; Cohen said.
&#8220;No, he&#8217;s not, and he&#8217;s also not president,&#8221; Maher shot back.
&#8220;He&#8217;s no — but —&#8221; Cohen tried again.
&#8220;And never would be,&#8221; Maher insisted.
&#8220;Neither is Mamdani,&#8221; Cohen said.
&#8220;No, but trust me, he will be featured in the campaign commercials,&#8221; Maher predicted, arguing that Mamdani would be a net negative on whoever did run for president.
&#8220;They boogeyman everybody,&#8221; Cohen complained, arguing that the real problem was not Mamdani but the Republicans who would use his socialist policies to damage any Democrat running.
&#8220;You don’t have to boogeyman [Mamdani]!&#8221; was Maher&#8217;s reply. &#8220;He does it to himself!&#8221;

2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones – Arrivals

Bill Maher Predicts What Will Happen In 2028 If New York Elects Mamdani Now

Bill Maher

Comedy

JD Vance

Media

Politics

Zohran Mamdani

Comedian Bill Maher ate a little crow during a recent episode of his &#8220;Club Random&#8221; podcast, conceding that he&#8217;d been firmly on the wrong side with a prediction he&#8217;d made earlier in President Donald Trump&#8217;s current term.
Maher, who hosted YouTuber Bryan Tyler Cohen for Monday&#8217;s episode, reminded his audience that he&#8217;d predicted that Trump&#8217;s tariff plan would result in economic disaster — probably before the Fourth of July had come and gone — but that had not happened.
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Cohen suggested that for commentators on the Left, the &#8220;onus&#8221; was on them to &#8220;filter&#8221; through what President Donald Trump said in order to stay on top of the issues that were really important.
&#8220;First of all, be honest. Don&#8217;t just be partisan,&#8221; Maher offered his advice on that front. &#8220;I will always call it as I see it, no matter what it is, and I don&#8217;t care who likes it or doesn&#8217;t. That&#8217;s my bond with the audience. It&#8217;s worked for me pretty well.&#8221;
Maher then fell on his own sword a bit, admitting to getting things wrong when he — along with many others —predicted that Trump&#8217;s threatened tariffs would tank the economy.
&#8220;I remember I, along with probably most people, were saying at the beginning, oh, you know, by the Fourth of July — somebody had a thing out about how the economy was gonna be tanked by then. And I was kinda like, &#8216;Well, that seems right to me,&#8217; but that didn&#8217;t happen,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;Now, it could happen tomorrow. I&#8217;m just saying, that&#8217;s reality.&#8221;
Maher went on to argue that Democrats were missing the point if they still believed that simply declaring their opposition to Trump amounted to a political strategy.
&#8220;&#8216;I just hate Donald Trump.&#8217; &#8230; That&#8217;s boring and doesn&#8217;t get us anywhere and leads you to dishonesty,&#8221; Maher said. &#8220;Because the truth is, I don&#8217;t know what his strategy is. But look, the stock market is at record highs. I don&#8217;t see a country in a depression at all. I see people out there just living their lives, and I would have thought — and I gotta own it — that these tariffs were going to f***ing sink this economy by this time, and they didn&#8217;t.&#8221;
&#8220;So, you know, how do we deal with that fact? Because that&#8217;s the fact,&#8221; he went on, arguing that Democrats needed to base their strategy on reality rather than just retreating to their partisan corners.
During the same episode, Maher took a similar tone when he revealed the biggest mistake he thought Democrats were making.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Bill Maher *GOES OFF* on &#8220;the left&#8221; over its most idiotic mistake🚨
&#8220;The stupidest thing the left does — and this dinner is a perfect example of it — is having this attitude toward the right that: &#8216;We won&#8217;t even break bread with you. We are so far above you that we won&#8217;t… <a href="https://t.co/8DZKOdSDZ0">pic.twitter.com/8DZKOdSDZ0</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1949824666207482273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The stupidest thing the Left does — and this dinner is a perfect example of it — is having this attitude toward the Right that: &#8216;We won&#8217;t even break bread with you. We are so far above you that we won&#8217;t even sit down at the same table with you!'&#8221; Maher complained. &#8220;That is their attitude — and that makes me sick too! I&#8217;m glad I break bread!&#8221;
&#8220;Good luck. See how far that gets you,&#8221; he quipped.

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers

‘I Gotta Own It’: Bill Maher Admits One Thing He Got Wrong About Trump 2.0

comedian

Donald Trump

Economy

Tariffs

Legendary singer Billy Joel told Bill Maher that he’s not affected by criticism he receives from the “woke” Left, which in the past has included pushback on songs like “Angry Young Man” and “Goodnight Saigon.”
The 76-year-old singer discussed his thoughts during Monday’s episode of the “Club Random” podcast. Maher brought up how leftists are “snippy” to things they disagree with, which Joel said he’s “inured to.”  
The conversation began with Maher discussing how many of Joel’s songs evoked the post-WWII generation that was “just very different.” The host brought up the singer’s 1976 song, &#8220;Angry Young Man,&#8221; as one example.
The lyrics say, &#8220;I believe I&#8217;ve passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage/ I found that just surviving is a noble fight/ I once believed in causes too/I had my pointless point of view, and life went on no matter who was wrong or right.&#8221;
&#8220;I feel like that is the message of the age, even though some people will hear that and say, ‘Look at these two a**holes,’&#8221; Maher said.
“Boomers,” Joel agreed, offering an example of how he and Maher might be criticized for expressing those views.
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Maher next mentioned how upset the Left gets when people don’t say, “Trump’s the worst.”
“Ok but even if we admit that … this is also true,” he added.
The podcast host also brought up criticism about Joel’s &#8220;Goodnight Saigon&#8221; song about the Vietnam War, which included the lyrics, &#8220;And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn&#8217;t matter in the thick of the fight.&#8221;
&#8220;Do you still feel that way?&#8221; Maher asked Joel. 
&#8220;Yes,&#8221; the singer said. 
&#8220;And you don’t care what they say about you? The woke?&#8221; Maher asked.
&#8220;At this point, no,&#8221; Joel replied. “I’m inured to it … on the other hand, I&#8217;m always trying to find out the other point of view. What&#8217;s, you know, not my point of view … somebody else&#8217;s point of view. Okay, I’d like to understand why they think that way.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s so difficult in this day and age,&#8221; Maher replied. &#8220;I mean, it is what I am always trying to do on my show. Look, this is one safe space for everybody, and I will take the heat from &#8230; both sides. I mean, I do feel like the Left, who, ironically, I&#8217;m more actually aligned with, is more snippy about it, and has a worse attitude about it, and makes me viscerally not like them more sometimes.&#8221;
At another point, the two discussed how everything, including criticism, is different now. 
&#8220;People say things all the time on [social media] they would never say if they had to say it to your face,&#8221; Maher said.
&#8220;It just always surprises me how people express this hatred,&#8221; Joel agreed. &#8220;It’s like, you hate a musician because he wrote something?&#8221;
While Joel has a history of financially supporting Democratic candidates, he&#8217;s not a political activist like some of his contemporaries. He discussed his views during a 2019 <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billy-joel-turning-70-donald-trump-new-music-831081/">interview</a> with Rolling Stone.
&#8220;I don’t think I’m going to be politically involved. I find a lot of people resent celebrities touting their candidate,&#8221; he said at the time. &#8220;That can actually turn more people off than it can bring more people in. I admire people like Springsteen, who gets up there and touts a candidate. He’s a citizen and he has a right to do that. My experience has always been that people resent it when they go to see you do a show and you get up on a soapbox and spout politics.&#8221;

Billy Joel

Billy Joel Tells Bill Maher He Doesn’t Care About Criticism From The ‘Woke’ Left

Billy Joel Tells Bill Maher He Doesn't Care About 'Woke' Criticism

Celebrities

Entertainment

singer

Comedian Bill Maher and leftist actor John Leguizamo argued about immigration on a recent episode of his podcast.
Leguizamo accused White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller of being a racist for his role as &#8220;the architect&#8221; of Trump&#8217;s deportation policies, but Maher argued that the Biden administration is to blame for inviting the masses to enter unlawfully.
“Part of this is a backlash to how badly Biden handled the immigration situation. It can’t just be like ‘Come one, come all,’” he said during the new &#8220;Club Random with Bill Maher&#8221; episode that aired on Monday.
“There’s plenty of room here,” Leguizamo complained. “There’s plenty of room in America, come on. There’s no lack of room in America.”
“It’s never about room. It’s about resources,” Maher shot back. “Countries have to have a border,” he went on. “I mean, they’ve done surveys and something like 200 million people around the world when asked, ‘Would you come to America if you could?’ ‘Yes, I would.’ Why wouldn’t they? Lots of countries, excuse me, are sh**holes, and they would love to be here.”
“The places aren’t sh**holes,” Leguizamo said in response.
“Well, they are,” Maher replied. “That’s why they want to come.”
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Leguizamo goes on to say that immigrants are “building the country” and doing all the jobs no one wants to do, which Maher agreed with, but says when it comes to immigration, “there has to be some order to it.” 
Leguizamo also discussed meeting Trump before his political career took off and said he took offense to being called “articulate.” The actor said he found Trump to be “meek.”  
“I wouldn’t call it meek,” Maher said. “What I would call it is knowing how to make everybody – it’s ironic because he’s known as the greatest egomaniac, and he is quite an egomaniac – but to make the person you’re talking to feel like they’re the ones who are important and you’re interested in what they’re saying. He’s good at that.”
Maher also said he didn’t believe that Trump was racist but just a “product of his time.”
“Some of us overcome our times,” Leguizamo said.
&#8220;That is true and fair to say,&#8221; Maher replied.
Maher, a Democrat, made headlines earlier this year for having dinner with Trump and sharing some of the more surprising aspects of their conversation. While Larry David whined about Maher accepting an invitation from “Hitler” and actor Sean Penn said he likely would have never agreed to the meeting, Maher kept an open mind and was pleasantly surprised.
He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public,” the podcast host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-telling-you-it-happened-bill-maher-reveals-what-was-said-during-private-dinner-with-trump">said</a> at the time.

Bill Maher, John Leguizamo Clash Over Immigration: ‘Plenty Of Room In America’

Bill Maher, John Leguizamo Clash Over Immigration: 'Plenty Of Room In America'

John Leguizamo

Stephen Miller

Comedian Bill Maher went off on Sean Penn, who was a guest on his “Club Random” podcast uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, for his refusal to dine with President Donald Trump despite having met with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and Venezuelan Marxist President Hugo Chavez.
During their conversation, Maher said, “But you do, I hope, think I did the right thing to have dinner with him.”
“Absolutely, you’re so smart,” Penn said, but then clarified he would not accept a dinner invitation from Trump.
“Really, you meet with f***ing Castro and Hugo Chavez, but not the President of the United States?” Maher shot back.
“I saw good results come out of some of those things,” Penn said of meeting with the controversial world leaders. “I just personally wouldn’t trust anything that was said in the room [with Trump], including the personality.”
“It’s like saying, ‘I don’t want this medical test because I don’t want to know.’ I want to know,” Maher replied.
Penn also said he wished Maher’s dinner with Trump had not been perceived as “successful.”
“Well, it was less successful because I never stopped saying all the things I’ve always said about him,” Maher responded. “It would’ve been successful if he had somehow seduced me into supporting him, so it wasn’t successful.”
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Maher has been under attack from leftists for dining with Trump. He said earlier this year that while he “didn’t go MAGA,” all of the things he disliked about Trump’s more public persona had been “absent” when they met in person.
“And I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna say something nice about him?’ What I’m gonna do is report exactly what happened. You decide what you think about it, and if that’s not enough pure Trump hate for you, I don’t give a f***,” Maher said of the meeting, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/larry-david-whines-about-bill-maher-giving-donald-trump-a-chance-with-trite-hitler-comparison">reported</a>.
“I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but it must have been something with the 2020 election because I know he used the word ‘lost,’ and I distinctly remember saying, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that,’” Maher added. “He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.”
“Everything I’ve ever not liked about him was — I swear to God — absent, at least on this night with this guy,” the “Real Time” host said. “He mostly steered the conversation to, ‘What do you think about this?’ I know: your mind is blown. So is mine.”
“A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House,” he added. “A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is f***ed up. It’s just not as f***ed up as I thought it was.”

Bill Maher Sean Penn

Bill Maher Scolds Sean Penn For Refusing Hypothetical ‘Dinner With Trump’

Fidel Castro

Sean Penn

U.S.

The Woods, the West Hollywood cannabis shop co-owned by actor Woody Harrelson and comedian Bill Maher, was burglarized in the wee hours of Saturday morning, per <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14731641/woody-harrelson-bill-mahers-cannabis-dispensary-burglarized-west-hollywood.html">the Daily Mail</a>.
Catalyst Cannabis Co. CEO Elliot Lewis shared footage to Instagram of the smash-and-grab burglary taking place.
“Our heart go out to Samba and Woody and their entire crew,” Lewis wrote in the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catalyst_ceo/reel/DJz5es4Nd1t/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post caption</a>. “Back to back robberies shots fired just another weekend in LA. Does nobody care about the people trying to build something up and they seem to only care about those trying to destroy. Make it make sense. Please bring back some common sense.”
He also added the R.E.M. song “It’s the End of the World As We Know It” in the background.
The video showed five individuals clad in hoodies and masks breaking in at 4:30 a.m. and grabbing merchandise from the store&#8217;s counters and shelves, which the outlet noted had the total retail value of around $2,000 to $3,000.
“They went in and they just randomly took stuff off the shelves,” The Woods co-owner Michael Berman told ABC 7 LA. “While there was a lot of mess from the broken glass, nobody was hurt. They got merchandise, but they didn&#8217;t actually damage too much inside.”
The co-owner <a href="https://abc7.com/post/west-hollywood-marijuana-shop-owned-bill-maher-woody-harrelson-ransacked-thieves/16475192/">said</a> the same group of thieves, who are known as “The Jack Boys,” tried to rob another dispensary in Santa Monica on Sunday, but abandoned the task when a security guard fired warning shots. Berman mentioned that he believed one of the burglars was a child.
There was a previous break-in attempt in November, the outlet noted.
The Woods is advertised as an “oasis where a lush consumption lounge and environmentally elegant design converge, creating a tranquil space to savor California&#8217;s finest organic, sun-grown cannabis offerings.”
Harrelson has long been an advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Although he quit smoking marijuana in 2016, he later returned to using it after <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/woody-harrelson-jerry-maguire-willie-nelson-back-smoking-marijuana-190721408.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHad-ke6OB-aLl4yHefMeCFEo_4IBe4TVCZ-RtSidcso0xWRLI8kL9WwYMGcuAZaBW9jBTFZGMlRRTuYD4jFWgITejZU94vbGONf6Ovf4ywOxk-uuH18Q_7eChQkgo-MHweBNX_t_hl9ob7N8Ru7H6D6tyAYvhIFfAnxoARx6-WD">playing a game of poker</a> with Willie Nelson.

‘The Woods’ Opening Day

Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher’s LA Weed Shop Hit By Burglars

Woody Harrelson And Bill Maher's LA Weed Shop Hit By Burglars

burglary

Crime

Los Angeles

Marijuana

Woody Harrelson

Bill Maher came down hard on the liberal joke writers for “Saturday Night Live” over a skit they did in February which portrayed Trump supporters as racist.
The political commentator discussed his thoughts on the newest episode of Club Random, which featured fitness star Jillian Michaels as a guest. He was reacting to a skit with Tom Hanks from the “SNL” episode which features Hanks as a MAGA hat-wearing racist who wouldn’t shake the hand of a black man.
“I hated it, too, and I said it on my show. I know. I hated it,” Maher said. “Wearing the MAGA hat, not shaking hands with a black person. And that’s when I thought, ‘You people don’t know MAGA people.’”
“I mean, they have their issues and I certainly have my issues with them … of course, there’s some racists everywhere who are that bad, but generally, all the MAGA people I know have no problem shaking hands with a black person. You’re just hysterical and you’re not helping,” the podcast host continued.
Maher insisted again that it’s a “lie that MAGA people won’t shake hands” with a black person. “I get it, it’s part of a skit and it’s an exaggeration and that’s comedy. It’s a little too delicate a subject to go there,” he said.
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“They probably think it’s great,” he said of the “SNL” writers. “As a liberal, I don’t like it. Again, because lying offends me. I’m a comedian, when the premise isn’t real, I can’t go with it. The premise doesn’t ring true. It might have rang true X years ago. It doesn’t now.”
Viewers on social media expressed similar sentiments about the skit when it first aired in February, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-hanks-bashed-for-playing-racist-trump-supporter-on-snl">reported</a>.
“This show wonders why their ratings are in the gutter. Trump won the popular vote. This tired trope that MAGA is racist is disgusting. SNL is an unfunny show,” one reaction said.
“For its 50 year anniversary special, SNL had Tom Hanks play a racist Trump supporter afraid to shake a black man’s hand. Fun fact: Trump’s 2024 election win was the LEAST racially divisive American election since 1964,” another person wrote.
“Hollywood still doesn’t get it: Portraying Trump supporters as racist caricatures while he’s winning record minority support. SNL’s trying 2016 jokes in 2025,” another person commented.

Bill Maher Blasts Anti-MAGA ‘SNL’ Skit As ‘Hysterical’: ‘You’re Not Helping’

Bill Maher Blasts Anti-MAGA 'SNL' Skit As 'Hysterical': 'You're Not Helping'

MAGA

Saturday Night Live

Tom Hanks

The Hollywood Resistance wasn’t ready for its close-up following the 2024 presidential election.
We didn’t even see starlets donning hats resembling a certain female body part. Trade publications like <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/hollywood-fears-trump-president-devastating-1236209319/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a> and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/hollywood-trump-resistance-the-sequel-1236076420/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a> fretted that we might not endure a repeat of Hollywood’s posturing during the first Trump term.
Remember the first Trump term? Death wishes. Clunky documentaries. Comedy shows throwing satire to the side to smite the 45th president. And one ISIS-style photography shoot which pummeled a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/election-night-kathy-griffin-retweets-infamous-pic-of-her-with-trumps-severed-head" target="_blank" rel="noopener">D-list star’s career.</a>
Those fears have melted away in President Trump’s first 100 days in office. The Resistance is back and the worst is (likely) yet to come.
Late-night TV never stopped attacking President Trump. Most programs would consider President Joe Biden and his gaffe-tastic Vice President Kamala Harris fodder during the leader’s one term in office.
The jokes could write themselves. Instead, Colbert and co. pretended as if Trump had never left the Oval Office.
<div id="attachment_825621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-825621" class="size-large wp-image-825621" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK CITY - OCTOBER 17: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest during Thursday's October 17, 2024 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/11/GettyImages-2182289102.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel greeted Trump’s re-election with literal tears, and it’s been the same ol’, same ol’ ever since. He referred to Trump administration officials as “animals” in an <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jimmy-kimmel-trump-late-night-future-interview-1235315906/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unhinged Rolling Stone interview</a>. He also described his comedy platform as a place liberals can go to “scream” in Trump 2.0.
NBC’s Seth Meyers is openly advising the Democrats on how to win back the general public, <a href="https://x.com/alexchristy17/status/1917210840106680431" target="_blank" rel="noopener">throwing caution</a> (and comedy) to the wind:
<blockquote>Now is not the time to nitpick the messaging of other Democrats. Instead of critiquing someone else&#8217;s message, go out there and do your own thing and give voters the choice they were deprived of this last election. Take a cue from the ones who are actually going out there doing [bleep] and getting attention for it.</blockquote>
Amber Ruffin no longer has a late-night show to call her own. So she talked herself out of a gig hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association gala by <a href="https://variety.com/2025/politics/news/whca-drops-amber-ruffin-performance-dinner-1236351795/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharing what she planned to say</a> on the dais. 
When asked if she would hit both sides of the political aisle, she said doing so would make Team Trump “feel like human beings … ‘cause they’re not.”
“Saturday Night Live” continues to hammer all things Trump while aggressively ignoring Democratic blunders, from throwing support to alleged gang members to goofy stunts like Sen. Cory Booker’s 25-hour filibuster.
<div id="attachment_914075" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914075" class="size-large wp-image-914075" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-864x576.jpg" alt="SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1881 -- Pictured: (l-r) Special guest Beck Bennett as Vladimir Putin and James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump during the &quot;White Lotus&quot; sketch on Saturday, April 12, 2025 -- (Photo by: Holland Rainwater/NBC via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/GettyImages-2209610052.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Holland Rainwater/NBC via Getty Images</div>
Comedian Bill Burr isn’t a political stand-up, but in recent years he’s called out both sides as he sees fit. Now, Burr is targeting Elon Musk, Trump’s right hand DOGE man across multiple platforms. Burr has blasted Musk as a Nazi and raged against billionaires, part of a new Democratic talking point that ignores their deep Soros family ties.
Other stars keep spreading fake Trump stories without fear of repercussion. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/01/amber-ruffin-comedian-white-house-correspondents-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Both Ruffin</a> and “Hacks” star <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hannah-einbinder-israel-massacre-palestinians-hrc-1236170941/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hannah Einbinder</a> pushed the “very fine people” hoax against Trump in recent weeks, earning zero pushback from Legacy Media outlets or so-called fact checkers.
Celebrities may seem a little less vocal in their anti-Trump posturing for one sober reason. Some decamped from X to Bluesky, the platform of choice for the modern Leftist. Now, when stars like “Two and a Half Men” alum Jon Cryer rage against Trump few people actually hear it.
That’s probably why some liberal stars like Stephen King left X only to come back to it weeks later. They were tired of screaming into the void, apparently.
Others use every available podium to decry President Trump.
Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (“Bad Education”) used his speech at the 50th annual Chaplin award gala earlier this month to says Trump will, “<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2025/04/29/spanish-filmmaker-pedro-almodovar-trump-will-go-down-in-history-as-the-greatest-mistake-of-our-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go down in history as the greatest mistake of our time.”</a> Director Steven Soderberg (“Black Bag”) only called the president a <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/entertainment/director-of-che-guevara-biopic-worries-trump-popularity-proves-audiences-have-been-rooting-for-movie-bad-guys-all-along/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“villain”</a> by comparison during a press opportunity.
It’s still a sin in Hollywood to treat President Trump as normal, let alone human. Comedian Bill Maher, one of the president’s loudest critics, made more enemies on the Left by breaking bread with the Commander-in-Chief.
Maher hasn’t pulled any punches since the sit down, but he also saw Trump as, gasp, human and said as much. That was too much for fellow comedian Larry David. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star’s New York Times op-ed calling both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/larry-david-whines-about-bill-maher-giving-donald-trump-a-chance-with-trite-hitler-comparison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump and Maher Nazis</a> spoke for many of the industry’s dwellers.
<div id="attachment_914179" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-914179" class="size-large wp-image-914179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-815x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Randy Holmes/BILL MAHER. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Larry David." width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/MixCollage-30-Apr-2025-01-51-PM-1677-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Credit: Randy Holmes/BILL MAHER. Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/Larry David.</div>
Some celebrities insist President Trump will either lock them up or prevent them from returning to America. Rocker Neil Young, who famously tried to get Joe Rogan fired from Spotify during the pandemic, openly worries he won&#8217;t be able to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/apr/02/neil-young-fears-us-ban-donald-trump-criticism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tour the U.S</a>. if he temporarily leaves the country during Trump 2.0.
Stand-up comic Nikki Glaser, who rarely gets political, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/24/entertainment/nikki-glaser-worried-that-she-could-not-be-let-back-into-the-country-for-trump-jokes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared a similar fear</a>.
Others, like Patti LuPone, embrace big-picture worries, like <a href="https://variety.com/2025/legit/news/george-clooney-patti-lupone-surviving-trump-broadway-pay-1236374131/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">America won’t survive</a> a second Trump term.
What’s missing? Overtly anti-Trump project announcements. They may be in the works, but we’ve yet to hear of any major film or TV show dedicated to tackling Trump.
Screenwriters may work around the edges as part of their Resistance sequel. Take “Mountainhead,” a new satire from the creator of “Succession.” The Max original film, debuting May 31, follows four billionaires on vacation as they react to a global crisis from their posh retreat.
Will the movie be a “Smash the Oligarchy” event targeting the Elon Musks of the world? Perhaps. The film’s rush from production — which began in March — to release date teases just that.
Hollywood has nearly four more years to lash out at President Trump in all manner of forms. Chances are we’ll see new films or TV show tackling the 47th president directly. And, if past is prologue, the eye rolling will be epic.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Saturday Night Live – Season 50

Hollywood Reacts To 100 Days Of Trump

actors

Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel

Larry David

President Trump

Stephen Colbert

Television

Trump Administration

CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings laid into comedian Larry David (&#8220;Curb Your Enthusiasm&#8221;) during a recent panel discussion, arguing that he was using his platform to shut down political discourse and bully other Democrats into silence.
Jennings referenced a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/larry-david-whines-about-bill-maher-giving-donald-trump-a-chance-with-trite-hitler-comparison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent op-ed</a> David wrote — in which he suggested that comedian Bill Maher having dinner with President Donald Trump was no different than having dinner with Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler — and argued that David&#8217;s goal was not so much to shame Maher as it was to issue a warning to anyone who might have considered meeting with Trump in the future.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Scott Jennings STUNS CNN panel with the obviously correct analysis on Larry David&#39;s GHOULISH column🔥<a href="https://t.co/m6wxseFNgl">pic.twitter.com/m6wxseFNgl</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1914677191557738756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The message of this is not to — because Bill Maher, first of all, I totally agree, he&#8217;s totally in the right to do it,&#8221; Jennings began, saying that while he certainly disagreed with Maher on a wide range of political issues, he felt the HBO host was right to encourage dialogue with people who have different political views. &#8220;I loved his monologue, even thought I disagree with almost everything he believes politically, he ws right to do this and he was right to speak out about it.&#8221;
&#8220;But this isn&#8217;t about that dinner. It&#8217;s about the next one,&#8221; Jennings continued. &#8220;Because this is the modern Left. It&#8217;s an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It&#8217;s to silence yourselves, or we&#8217;ll do it for you. That&#8217;s the purpose of this op-ed, so that the next comedian, or the next person on the American left chooses not to speak to Donald Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;This isn&#8217;t — this is all an effort to get people not to do what you just said, which is to talk to each other and our political leaders,&#8221; he concluded.
Maher <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-telling-you-it-happened-bill-maher-reveals-what-was-said-during-private-dinner-with-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with Trump</a> at the behest of mutual friend Kid Rock, and later delivered a monologue describing just how different the president had been in person than he was on the public stage. The comedian did not hold back the criticism, however, and argued that he&#8217;d prefer to see the private version of Trump take on the public-facing role.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 Premiere

CNN Republican Torches Larry David’s ‘Dinner With Hitler’ Column Attacking Bill Maher

CNN Republican Torches Larry David's 'Dinner With Hitler' Column Attacking Bill Maher

Scott Jennings

Larry David can’t stand the fact that Bill Maher didn’t hate Donald Trump after they had dinner together.
The 77-year-old “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator wrote an opinion piece attacking Maher for being open-minded, repeating the tired trope throughout the piece that Trump is Hitler.
The satirical <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/opinion/larry-david-hitler-dinner.html">essay</a> based on Maher’s remarks, titled “My Dinner With Adolf,” was published by The New York Times on Monday. 
“I had been a vocal critic of his on the radio from the beginning, pretty much predicting everything he was going to do on the road to dictatorship,” David wrote, pretending to tell the story from Maher’s perspective. “But eventually I concluded that hate gets us nowhere. I knew I couldn’t change his views, but we need to talk to the other side.”
David went on, “I joked that I was surprised to see him in a tan suit because if he wore that out, it would be perceived as un-Führer-like. That amused him to no end, and I realized I’d never seen him laugh before. Suddenly he seemed so human. Here I was, prepared to meet Hitler, the one I’d seen and heard — the public Hitler. But this private Hitler was a completely different animal. And oddly enough, this one seemed more authentic, like this was the real Hitler. The whole thing had my head spinning.”
“‘I must say, mein Führer, I’m so thankful I came. Although we disagree on many issues, it doesn’t mean that we have to hate each other.’ And with that, I gave him a Nazi salute and walked out into the night,” David’s essay says.
Maher, who has been openly critical of Trump, had a private dinner with the president earlier this month. He later admitted to enjoying himself and feeling better about the president on his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxlopbcfXpQ">show</a>, &#8220;Real Time with Bill Maher.&#8221;
“And I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna say something nice about him?’ What I’m gonna do is report exactly what happened. You decide what you think about it, and if that’s not enough pure Trump hate for you, I don’t give a f***,” Maher said of the meeting. 
“I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but it must have been something with the 2020 election because I know he used the word ‘lost,’ and I distinctly remember saying, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that,’” Maher added. “He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.”
“Everything I’ve ever not liked about him was — I swear to God — absent, at least on this night with this guy,” the “Real Time” host said. “He mostly steered the conversation to, ‘What do you think about this?’ I know: your mind is blown. So is mine.”
“A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House,” he added. “A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is f***ed up. It’s just not as f***ed up as I thought it was.”

David and Maher

Larry David Whines About Bill Maher Giving Donald Trump A Chance With Trite ‘Hitler’ Comparison

Larry David Whines About Bill Maher Giving Donald Trump A Chance With Trite 'Hitler' Comparison

Adolf Hitler

New York Times

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher revealed what was said — and what surprised him — when he met with President Donald Trump at the White House nearly two weeks earlier.
Trump had mentioned his plans to have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-confirms-meeting-with-bill-maher-it-might-be-fun-or-it-might-not">dinner</a> with Maher, saying it “might be fun or it might not,” admitting that the summit had been brokered by mutual friend and musician Kid Rock.
Maher shared his thoughts on the meeting during Friday’s broadcast of “Real Time,” noting that they had certainly not agreed on everything and he “didn’t go MAGA,” but admitting that all of the things he disliked about Trump’s more public persona had been “absent” when they met in person.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Twelve days ago, I had dinner with President Trump, a dinner that my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/KidRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KidRock</a> set up because we share the belief that there has to be something better than hurling insults from 3000 miles away. <a href="https://t.co/KE2t2eyBkI">pic.twitter.com/KE2t2eyBkI</a>
&mdash; Bill Maher (@billmaher) <a href="https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1910900483709096262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Maher said that he had, as has been previously reported, printed up a list of about 60 insults that Trump had hurled his way over the years. Trump, he said, signed the printout “with good humor.”
“And I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna say something nice about him?’ What I’m gonna do is report exactly what happened. You decide what you think about it, and if that’s not enough pure Trump hate for you, I don’t give a f***,” Maher said.
As they toured the White House, Maher said he was surprised to hear Trump say aloud that he had lost the 2020 presidential race.
“I don’t remember exactly what we were talking about, but it must have been something to do with the 2020 election because I know he used the word ‘lost,’ and I distinctly remember saying, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that,’” Maher explained. “He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.”
At one point, Trump pointed to a portrait of the late President Ronald Reagan, claiming that the “best thing about him” was his hair.
“I said, ‘Well, there was also that whole bringing down communism thing.’ I was waiting for the Diet Coke button to be pushed and I go through the trap door, but no, he laughed. He got it,” Maher said, commenting on how genuine Trump’s laughter was and how much more “measured” he was in private.
The comedian raised the question of dogs, noting that many previous presidents had kept them at the White House. Trump argued that they’d done so for political reasons, prompting Maher to object that some people just like dogs.
“[Trump said], ‘Oh yeah, okay, that’s true,'&#8221; Maher recalled. “I’m telling you it happened!”
Maher did not withhold criticism, however, saying, “It doesn&#8217;t matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian; it matters who he is on the world stage. … Why can&#8217;t we get the guy I met to be the public guy?”

Celebrities Visit SiriusXM – May 20, 2024

‘I’m Telling You, It Happened!’: Bill Maher Reveals What Was Said During Private Dinner With Trump

On Tuesday, Kid Rock shared details of President Donald Trump&#8217;s meeting with liberal comedian Bill Maher, declaring that &#8220;everybody’s mind was kind of blown.&#8221;
The rock star, who got to <a href="https://x.com/News4SA/status/1907109777441706181" target="_blank" rel="noopener">witness</a> Trump sign an executive order designed to crack down on price gouging in ticket resales, joined Fox News to discuss how he convinced Maher to meet Trump and what actually happened when they all got together for dinner, along with UFC CEO Dana White.
Both Trump and Maher — who have been heavily critical of each other over the years — had previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-confirms-meeting-with-bill-maher-it-might-be-fun-or-it-might-not" target="_blank" rel="noopener">credited</a> Kid Rock with brokering the get-together on Monday.
&#8220;I went on Bill’s show, I went on his podcast and I said, &#8216;Man, you know, nothing happens if people don’t break bread together and meet face-to-face.&#8217; He’s been one of the president’s hardest critics. And we came to dinner, me, Bill, Dana White, and it could not have been better,&#8221; the rock star said.
&#8220;Everyone was so surprised. It was so pleasant,&#8221; Kid Rock added. &#8220;The most shocking thing to me was Bill is obviously a big liberal and very hard on the president. He’s donated a lot of money to other politicians. You know, you&#8217;ve had Biden, Clinton, Obama — everybody — he had never been to the White House.&#8221;
But, Kid Rock said, Trump was &#8220;gracious&#8221; and gave them a tour of the White House.
&#8220;He took us up to the private residence. We saw the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln Bedroom,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And I was like, you’ve never been here, Bill? And I was like, how about this? President Trump, you know, extending this olive branch and we talked about things we had in common.&#8221;
Kid Rock said they discussed &#8220;ending wokeness&#8221; and &#8220;securing the border.&#8221; He noted that Trump asked Maher about policy on Iran and Israel, and remarked, &#8220;It blew my mind. I was very proud.&#8221;
&#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; co-host Lawrence Jones asked, &#8220;Do you think he walked away liking him? Because, you know, Trump is the type of person you have to meet him to understand him,&#8221; to which Kid Rock responded in the affirmative.
&#8220;100%. 100%. Me and Dana both said there was like — there has never been anyone who has ever met the president in any scenario who has walked away without saying, like, wow, what a great guy. He&#8217;s so funny, so engaging, he&#8217;s so smart. And absolutely, Bill even said to me — after that he goes, &#8216;Wow, that was — &#8216; you know, everybody’s mind was kind of blown.&#8221;
Kid Rock went on to say: &#8220;The president called me late last night. Everyone was a little suspect about going into this. Even the president [said to me], like, &#8216;What have you got me doing?&#8217; I go, man, we’re trying to show people that even though we’ve been hard on each other, that when you get face-to-face, maybe we can have more civility in this country and try to bring people together, you know. That was my whole intention.&#8221;
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Kid Rock and President Trump

Kid Rock Dishes On Trump’s Meeting With Bill Maher: ‘Everybody’s Mind Was Kind Of Blown’

Kid Rock

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