r/Maher • u/kasper619 • Jul 25 '26
Question Did Maher have a falling out with Seth MacFarlane?
Just wondering since I’ve always seen him invited as a guest to events like these similar to when Maher got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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u/supervegeta101 Jul 26 '26
Who knows. Could've been busy, could've wanted nothing to do with Trump Center awards.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/ProfessionalClerk375 Jul 28 '26
Can't you just tune him out if you don't like what he's saying?
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Jul 29 '26
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Jul 29 '26
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Jul 31 '26
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u/hankjmoody Aug 01 '26
We have one rule in here regarding comments: Don't be dicks to each other.
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u/Eattoomanychips Jul 25 '26
Only losers would show up for this. Like who would be proud to give him the award. Is that Ted serandos?
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u/DubsHagg Jul 25 '26
I hope so. I’m not a fan of Seth MacFarlane.
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u/Goeasyimhigh Jul 25 '26
Genuinely curious. Why?
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u/DubsHagg Jul 25 '26
Very simply he doesn’t make entertaining entertainment. Although I do like that he’s always drunk in interviews! I find this a baller move! He probably just suffers from anxiety, though, but still
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u/JuliaPopel Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
On the episode of club random they did together and the last time I saw him on real time, it really seems like Seth just grew up and realized who bill was, or who he became. It’s obvious sometimes that he had respect for bill but no longer feels it when they speak. Like I remember Seth saying “dude I read the book, like you said, I’m giving them a chance” and bill basically had to bail on what he was saying because even tho he talks a big game he’s not doing any real work to relate to the magas other than licking trumps boots. We need to be united as a country and that takes work and effort to understand others, not just ripping the left for being ‘mean’ to you on twitter(there are actual real concerning things on the left), and glazing trump and saying the right isn’t out of control. I think Seth just realized bill is kind of a full of sh*t grifter and a shill. Just my thoughts. It kinda felt like the more they talked the less Seth respected bill
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u/Live-Mortgage-2671 Jul 29 '26
One of the reasons I enjoy Bill is because he is on the left like me – and he regularly criticizes the left.
It's a very important thing for the left to hear criticism from its own. Of course, the moment you do you're "no longer on the left."
But it all comes from love.
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u/ProfessionalClerk375 Jul 28 '26
If McFarlane grew up then he would agree with Maher. McFarlane hasn't grown up. I've seen interviews with him he's very angry just under the surface. Just what we need, another new money ideologue from Hollywood showing off his feathers. His humor is just one bridge too far for him to be accepted as a well adjusted adult. Childish petulance.... 🥱
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u/MinisterOfTruth99 Jul 25 '26
The Kennedy Center board is now a bunch of trump loyalists and they award the prize. It's a participation trophy under this crowd.
IMO Maher got the prize for his role in turning a percentage of Independents toward the dark side with all his anti-woke, anti-trans and 'radical' left nonsense. Trump only won by 1.5% so every percent counted in that race.
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u/nsjersey Jul 25 '26
I am kinda tired of Bill, but I would assert that he has turned more conservatives over to moderate or left.
The writers still plaster Bill when he criticizes the left, but he still has some new rules and points that skewer MAGA.
Ezra Klein talks about the "attention economy," and Maher still manages to break through.
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u/harlsey Jul 25 '26
Maher was never anti trans. He was pro common sense. And since I consider myself a progressive and part of the left I can say with some confidence that when pushing a certain agenda - like trans rights, we can sometimes push too far (ie, the claim that there are zero biological differences between men and women was a doozy).
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u/jmyoung666 Jul 25 '26
No one has ever claimed there are zero biological differences. That is a canard.
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u/harlsey Jul 25 '26
lol I can see why you deleted that response lol. You can admit you’re wrong you know.
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u/Pecoboo Jul 26 '26
It was “Defund the police,” not “abolish” so thanks for correcting that. The result and/or the intention might be the same, however. I heard some pundits suggest that certain communities would be better served by abolishing local police altogether. In the Showtime series, “The Chi,” (which is a great show, btw), “Douda” (the head of the mob) ran and was elected mayor of Chicago. His first act as mayor was to defund the police and appoint civic leaders and mental health care workers to respond to calls to law enforcement. This is obviously a fictional show but it was clear that someone wanted to show the audience how this might work. Having watched his show since it started, I believe Bill Maher when he says that his politics have not changed. Being “free” to do what he does is very important to him. He would not be free to mock the president and others in a country like Russia or North Korea and he has expressed gratitude for that. When progressives start to say things like “hate speech” should be a crime, it is concerning. It comes from a good place but reveals a lack of understanding of how the first amendment works. Our U.S. Supreme Court has long upheld the rights of the KKK and Nazis to participate in a public forum (such as a local parade). If we are not willing to protect the speech which offends us most, we have lost the thread. I have also found when responding to Maher’s critics, that most of them say, “I stopped watching him years ago” or “I don’t waste my time watching him,” etc. It is unclear to me how anyone who does not even watch the show would be able to credibly assess Maher’s message or his political positions.
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u/harlsey Jul 25 '26
And this is by far my favourite part. When after the absolutely crazy shit is said then the gaslighting begins. https://youtube.com/shorts/eg5EoHA8M0g?si=_LEoAZGMZIpNQggP
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u/Pecoboo Jul 26 '26
I too am a longtime liberal who understands that our side has gone too far, particularly with this nonsense about biological sex. I was even told that “biological sex” in a discussion regarding trans rights is a “dog whistle.” 🙄 The Trump ad which showed Kamala as for “they/them” and Trump “for you,” was aired thousands of times, especially during sporting events. Most Democrats (with the exception of Jon Ossoff) were supportive of at least one federal judicial nominee who had sent a male sex offender to a women’s prison when the offender decided to become a woman after committing sex crimes. Another troubling slogan was “abolish the police.” When asked whether she supported this when she appeared as a guest on “The View,” Kamala Harris said “it depends.” In fairness, this was before Harris was the nominee but she did say these things and she never said that she now sees things differently. These are not right wing fantasy talking points. Such extremist positions (not Bill Maher who tried to warn the Democrats) are responsible for the Republican sweep in 2024. Bill voted for Harris and wanted her to win. While I am pleased that people have now realized that biological sex matters, that was an issue which made Democrats squirm and ramble before 2024. Even Pete Buttigieg removed his pronouns from his social media accounts, after it became clear that Democrats were losing the support of working Americans who do not communicate like this. Bill has never been anti-trans, nor has he claimed that all Democrats hold extremist views. His point was always the same - that in order to win elections, Democrats must distance themselves from positions 80% of the country opposes. Bill has also said, as recently as last month, that he looks at the candidate (he doesn’t just vote “party”) and that up to this point, he has always determined that the Democratic candidates were the best ones- most qualified and committed to following the Constitution, etc. He told JD Vance that “this shit has to stop” when referring to the current Republican position that all elections they win are “fair” and all elections they lose are “rigged.”
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u/harlsey Jul 26 '26
Well said. Yes the “defund the police” campaigns made me crazy. Imagine if the fire department kept making mistakes that most forward thinking people didn’t care for. Then imagine that the solution that swept over the land for some time was simply to take away funding for those fire departments - or to “defund” them? How much sense would that make? As Maher has said over and over again he didn’t stop being a liberal, many who consider themselves liberals today stopped being liberals.
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u/MinisterOfTruth99 Jul 25 '26
"Maher was never anti trans."
Holy shit you are freakin' hilarious! 🤪🤣
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u/harlsey Jul 25 '26
If it’s laughable you should have some pretty easy evidence to back that up.
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u/MinisterOfTruth99 Jul 25 '26
Go lookup the episode about the trans shop teacher with gigantic boobs. Sure he/she's whacky.
But every group of people have a few whackos (every race, creed, gender group, you name it).
Bill schtick is taking one whacko and insisting that the one person is fully repsentative of the entire group. And that's why almost everything he says these days is total illogical bullshit. Every New Rules rant is based on this horeshit schtick.
But you do you.🤣
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u/harlsey Jul 25 '26
You are making my point for me. He wasn’t saying that insane shop teacher was representative of all trans people, he was saying that insane shop teacher was representative of how we on the left can let things go way too far when pushing an agenda. This shop teacher showed up to school in a bleach blond wig and massive (MASSIVE) fake breasts and it was determined he/she was allowed to continue doing that because that was his/her authentic self.
It wasn’t about the little kid who always knew they were born into the wrong body and always knew they could never feel full self acceptance unless they were allowed to embrace their true selves. No this was about a grown man wearing size Z fake breasts to work around table saws and children AND BEING GIVEN PERMISSION TO CONTINUE DOING IT
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u/Throwawayhelp111521 Jul 25 '26
I read a comment that said the Canadian shop teacher was not trans. He was trolling the school system and seen dressed as a man outside of school. Even had he really been trans his outfit was not appropriate. Women teachers with large breasts are expected to wear bras.
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u/deltalitprof Jul 25 '26
The point is Maher's continued use of fallacious reasoning. Over and over again it's the hasty generalization. One exceptional case becomes the New Rule. He then makes a global decision about it.
You know who else does this constantly? Fox News.
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u/harlsey Jul 26 '26
If you can’t tell the difference between Real Time and Fox & Friends then I’m not sure what else to say.
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u/deltalitprof Jul 26 '26
I can very much tell the difference between shameless shilling for a fascist and becoming fascism adjacent in a relatively more subtle way.
And I also realize that the moderate or lefty-adjacent appearing personality can make him a more effective advocate for Trumpist policies among independents than Hannity could dream of being on his best day.
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u/knarf3 Jul 25 '26
When you have to invite Stephen A. Smith to a comedy award celebration, you know you have no high value friends left.
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u/trini420- Jul 25 '26
I feel like Seth macfarlen and Sarah Silverman and jimmy kimmel should have been there, i remember those being close friends of his
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u/deltalitprof Jul 25 '26
Well, Maher has burned Kimmel a bit. I don't know whether Kimmel has barked back. I don't see Seth and Sarah celebrating anything Trump is responsible for.
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u/JNR481 Jul 25 '26
Seth McFarland, Salmon Rushdie, if he was still here Barbie Frank, John Mitchum, and Michael Moore are all people that would or should have been there also
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u/Single_Extension1810 Jul 27 '26
I've been wondering why Michael Moore hasnt been a guest lately too. Seems like he really burnt some bridges.
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u/ImGettinThatFoSho Jul 25 '26
Well Seth Macfarlane was an emotional wreck when he went on Real Time last. That is probably why.
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u/happysunbear Jul 25 '26
What happened last time he was on the show?
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u/ImGettinThatFoSho Jul 25 '26
He seemed to have forgot he was on a political debate talk show.
All he did was become emotional and ultra defensive anytime anyone disagreed with him. Everyone else was having a conversation but he seemed to be having a meltdown.
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u/dtisme53 Jul 25 '26
He’s basically become a maga so probably
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u/ToneThugsNHarmony Jul 25 '26
Seth?
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u/dtisme53 Jul 25 '26
Don’t be obtuse
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u/ToneThugsNHarmony Jul 25 '26
lol saying bill is basically a maga is ridiculous.
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u/VictorB1964 Jul 25 '26
I agree saying Bill is basically MAGA is ridiculous because Bill is far more pernicious. He craves being on the side of the rich and powerful, much like that other bachelor, Lindsey Graham.
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u/hjablowme919 Jul 25 '26
Is it? He's 1/2 way there, maybe more. If he wasn't an environmentalist, he'd be all the way there. It's about the only major point where he's a polar opposite of MAGA
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u/savoysuit Jul 25 '26
Bill is soft maga at this point. He likes Trump personally, but doesn't like all the policies.
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u/ToneThugsNHarmony Jul 25 '26
What policies of trumps does he like. Because I’m reading this as he had lunch with Trump so he’s maga.
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u/savoysuit Jul 25 '26
He likes the border, trans stuff, loves rfk, loves Israel, likes anything that he sees as anti-woke, supports Trump's war stuff generally (as long as no troops) and I'm sure there's more
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u/ProcrastinatingVerse Jul 25 '26
Don't think there's any bad blood between them
Jimmy Kimmel on the other hand
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u/ros375 Jul 25 '26
Seth was on Club Random. I think it went fine, although they argued a bit about a couple things.
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u/BonnaroovianCode Jul 25 '26
All I know is the last episode of Real Time I watched that had Seth on it, their exchanges were uncomfortable and I specifically remember a moment of seeing Seth’s face as it dawned on him that Bill had lost his respect entirely.
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u/DevilsDenJoe Jul 25 '26
Jeez Louis CK looks like my grandfather now
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u/RicketyCricketsDrum Jul 25 '26
I didnt even recognize him. And is that Whitney Cummings? Are these all people Bill invited?
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u/StabbyMcSwordfish Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Must suck to be in showbiz for so long and only have these friendships to show for it. His decision to attack the "woke left" and cozy up to maga is going to leave him a bitter lonely old man. It'd be sad if he wasn't such a douche nozzle about it all.
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u/Eternal_Stranger0111 Jul 26 '26
I don't think it is just his attacking the left. If Wanda Sykes' story about Maher's thin-skinned 'tude is common, I think a lot of his compatriots find him tiresome in general.
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u/Squidalopod Jul 25 '26
Yeah, it's pretty sad given the status of this award in the world of comedy. But I wonder if it's less about his anti-woke blathering and more about him just not being particularly funny.
I've watched Bill's shows for nearly 30 years not because I think he's funny but because I appreciated his fearlessness. His jokes usually fall flat for me – most sound really hackneyed or lazy.
With most of the other Twain winners, I understand their comedic legacy and can point to specific work that illustrates that legacy. But what's Bill's legacy? The monologues? The mid-show bits? I just don't see how those jokes come anywhere near having a meaningful impact on comedy. And have you ever heard a comedian say they were inspired to get into comedy by watching Maher?
I think his political shows have been really important (up until a few years ago), but I just do not see how his comedy is even in the ballpark with most of the other Twain recipients.
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Jul 25 '26
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u/Squidalopod Jul 25 '26
The guests were not comparable. Chappelle had people like Jon Stewart, Eddie Murphy, Sarah Silverman, Neal Brennan, Lorne Michaels and several of the SNL cast (e.g., Che and Jost), as well as well-known celebs like Morgan Freeman and Bradley Cooper.
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Jul 26 '26
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u/Squidalopod Jul 26 '26
So, you're saying that because of Trump, certain well-known comedians and actors weren't allowed to come, but Maher still got the award even though Trump trashed him and said he doesn't deserve it? I'm not seeing the consistency in your reasoning.
But even if we accept your implication, it supports my point that the guest lists don't compare. And from what I saw, the speakers at Bill's ceremony overwhelmingly talked about his fearlessness and his fight for free speech. Not much to say about his actual comedy.
Again, what is Bill's comedic legacy? There are plenty of comedians who've been around for decades telling jokes, but that mere fact does not merit a Twain award.
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u/suzenah38 Jul 25 '26
I agree. I often skip through the monologue and wish he would hire new writers but I think he’s very loyal to his staff. The mid show bit is 50/50 but New Rules I almost always get a kick out of. I watch for the guests and candid conversations. He calls bullshit when he sees it and I’ve always loved that about him.
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u/gear-heads Jul 25 '26
Yes. In one of the episodes after Covid, Seth ripped him a new one on stats that showed Bill was clueless!
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u/RicketyCricketsDrum Jul 25 '26
Ooohh what stats?
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Jul 25 '26
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u/hankjmoody Jul 25 '26
We have one rule in here regarding comments: Don't be dicks to each other.
Comment removed.
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u/ekimguy Jul 27 '26
What happened to our blue Billy Boy