- Byname of:
- William Maher
- Awards And Honors:
- Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2026)
- Notable Works:
- “Club Random”
Bill Maher
Who is Bill Maher?
Why was Politically Incorrect canceled?
What awards has Bill Maher received?
News •
Bill Maher (born January 20, 1956, New York, New York, U.S.) is an American comedian and talk-show host known for his acerbic political commentary, most notably on his long-running shows Politically Incorrect (1993–2002) and Real Time with Bill Maher (2003– ).
Childhood and early career in stand-up
Maher grew up in River Vale, New Jersey. As a boy, he idolized The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson but hid his aspiration to be a comedian until his junior year studying English at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, when he first tried his stand-up act in a New York City comedy club. After graduating (B.A., 1978), Maher became a regular in clubs throughout the country. He also made many appearances on The Tonight Show and came to the attention of Steve Allen, who cast him as his sidekick on the cable series Steve Allen’s Music Room. Beginning in 1983, Maher tried acting, appearing in several films and television shows.
Politically Incorrect and Real Time with Bill Maher
Maher’s career was jump-started by cohosting Indecision ’92—a program that provided irreverent coverage of the presidential election—for the cable network Comedy Central. His success led to the debut of his own show, Politically Incorrect, in 1993.
Politically Incorrect was an immediate success, at least partly due to Maher’s ability to humorously mediate the discussions between a rotating panel of journalists, entertainers, and politicians. The program proved to be so popular that it moved from Comedy Central to the ABC network in 1997. In 2001 Maher implied that the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks showed more personal bravery than U.S. forces who launched cruise missiles during the fighting in the Afghanistan War. The remarks proved highly controversial and eventually led to the cancellation of the show the following year
Although Maher initially tried to explain his comments, he was anything but contrite when he returned to television with Real Time with Bill Maher, which began airing on HBO in February 2003. That show also features political discussions among guests as well as comedic stand-up segments.
Publications and other work
Maher’s writings include When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden (2002), New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer (2005), The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head up Their Ass (2011), and What This Comedian Said Will Shock You (2024).
In 2006 Maher hosted the Internet talk show Amazon Fishbowl with Bill Maher on Amazon.com. Over the years he has made frequent appearances on various political talk shows and hosted several stand-up comedy specials on HBO. Maher, a self-proclaimed “apatheist,” also wrote and produced the irreverent documentary film Religulous (2008), in which he interviewed people of various faiths, including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. From 2013 to 2018 he served as executive producer of the HBO documentary series Vice, for which he won an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series or special in 2014.
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In 2022 Maher launched the Club Random video podcast, featuring conversations with guests in his home. A longtime drug legalization advocate, Maher frequently smokes marijuana on camera on the show.
Honors and awards
In 2010 Maher was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2026.