HBO's 'Real Time With Bill Maher' Returning Amid Strikes

The WGA said Maher's decision to bring his talk show back to HBO's lineup amid the strikes was 'disappointing,' adding that guild members would picket the show.

By Allison Schonter

Bill Maher's political talk show will return to HBO next week, making him the first late-night host to say his program will return amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The comedian said on social media Wednesday that Real Time with Bill Maher will re-start production without writers, returning with an original episode on Friday, Sept. 22 at 10 p.m.

"Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing," Maher announced on X (formerly Twitter). "It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily."

With the announcement, Maher will become the first late-night host to return to air after all of TV's late-night shows went dark after the writers strike began earlier this year. Similar to Drew Barrymore's decision to bring her talk show back to the air, Maher's decision is already facing plenty of criticism, with the WGA saying that the comedian's decision was "disappointing" in a statement posted to X.

"If he goes forward with his plan, he needs to honor more than 'the spirit of the strike,'" the statement said. "As a WGA member, @BillMaher is obligated to follow the strike rules and not perform any writing services. It is difficult to imagine how @RealTimers can go forward without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place."

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In his own statement, Maher addressed the ongoing strikes, writing that "we all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening." Although Maher said he loves his writers and is one of them, he wrote, "I'm not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much." The host promised to "honor the spirit of the strike" by removing certain elements of the show that were dependent on writing, including the monologue, desk piece, and "New Rules" segments.

He concluded the announcement, "I'll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullshit and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint."

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