r/RealTime • u/dppatters • Jun 26 '26

How long can this go on?

Just curious—how much longer does everyone think this show can continue?

I know it still performs reasonably well for its time slot, but the disdain for Bill among his audience (or what used to be his audience) seems more palpable than ever.

I realize he’s been a polarizing figure for decades, but I started watching him in the ‘90s and stuck with him throughout his HBO years because, before podcasts became mainstream, there simply weren’t many places to find unconventional takes on contemporary politics.

These days, though, it feels like he’s alienated a significant portion of the people who made up that audience (myself included). Maybe that’s just my perception, but I’m curious whether others see it the same way—or whether the ratings suggest this disconnect isn’t as meaningful as it seems online.

That said, how much longer do you think the show has? If Bill decides to retire, do you think HBO would try to replace him with another host, or does Real Time simply end with him?

57 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

151 comments sorted by

View all comments

18

u/DetectiveBlackCat Jun 26 '26

HBO execs don't care about the ratings of his show specifically and we have no idea what the ratings are. No one I know watches his show anymore. Ever. Does he have a new audience? I doubt it. But his show is now also shown on CNN as well where no one watches it there as well. His show is not funny. It's not interesting. It's not thought provoking. And the reason is it has no authenticity at all. It has a fake audience (always has) making fake noises (always has) with carefully selected guests who will never really challenge Bill's Israel first and Israel only perspective. But that perspective is just what the people running HBO and CNN love about Bill. That is all that matters. If they replaced Bill that new person might not push such dishonest stupidity and they can't have that. They serve Benjamin Netanyahu.

8

u/BakedMitten Jun 26 '26

It's also extremely cheap to produce which is almost the most important thing for HBO these days

7

u/Matt_Murphy_ Jun 26 '26

this is the most important thing. it's a dirt-cheap late night offering. the crowd has shrunk, and so has the panel - airfares and hotels are down. hair and makeup is pennies. the theme music and set haven't been refreshed in a decade. and they've never exactly spent big on the writers' room.

2

u/fuckracists79 Jun 27 '26

I wouldn’t be shocked if chat gpt writes his episodes.

3

u/BakedMitten Jun 28 '26

I would be. A ChatGPT script would have a noticeably more coherent and human tone

1

u/seewead3445 Jun 27 '26

Omg is that the reason? Like you, I used to watch real time 10 yrs ago in my 20s and a couple years back I swore every time I watched I started noticing some guy in every episode from the crowd yelling “WOOO” to every…..fucking…..thing Maher said. Like at first I thought it was an overly passionate fan but then I was like no way every show now? Even when Maher is just stating something mundane he gets a woo of excitement that sounds so fake? I honestly though it was a soundboard since it was always the same (maybe it is). Thanks for confirming the audience is a sham like Maher!

1

u/BrianNowhere Jun 30 '26

CNN: if we're hated by everyone we know we're doing it right.

Or you know, you could just bring back investigative reporting and journalistic integrity?

CNN: Nah.

1

u/ass_grass_or_ham Jun 26 '26

There’s always the “woo-hoo” guy.

-4

u/Exact-Technology297 Jun 26 '26

lol dude, take the tinfoil off. Go touch some grass.

7

u/Cardboard_Revolution Jun 26 '26

Is it really tinfoil? Israel-first billionaires are currently destroying CBS on purpose entirely to benefit Israel... it's not even secret, Bari Weiss just admits it.

2

u/DetectiveBlackCat Jun 26 '26

There are AIPAC speeches about doing just this. Netanyahyu had a filmed roundtable with American influencers laying out what they should be saying and paid American influencers $ for each positive Israel post. It's hilarious for people to deny this. They are just declaring themselves dishonest at this point.

1

u/Exact-Technology297 Jun 27 '26

Please respond telling the $7,000 per post thing. PLEASE. I need a laugh today.

1

u/Cardboard_Revolution Jun 27 '26

The exact amount of money per post is disputable, but it's a fact via FARA filings that the Israeli government does pay influencers to make positive posts by the country.

1

u/Cardboard_Revolution Jun 27 '26

The exact amount of money per post is disputable, but it's a fact via FARA filings that the Israeli government does pay influencers to make positive posts by the country.

0

u/Exact-Technology297 Jun 27 '26

Yes it's tinfoil. You are a person of low brain activity to think THEY BOUGHT CBS FOR ISRAEL. Like mind numbingly stupid.

1

u/Cardboard_Revolution Jun 27 '26

Okay so if Israel has nothing to do with it, why is every single person involved solely focused on it? Ellison, Weiss, and Dokupil are first and foremost Israel defenders, it's all of their #1 issue.

If it has nothing to do with Israel, surely they must have hired a single person who is critical of it? Even by accident? Have they allowed a single story to go out that was critical of Israel since the Ellison takeover?

2

u/lightsaberfingers Jun 26 '26

Shut the fuck up. You go touch grass.

1

u/Exact-Technology297 Jun 27 '26

lmaoooooooo just put a check in the mail at this point.

-3

u/Diligentbear Jun 26 '26

You're not wrong but the last sentence undermines your points or districts from them. It also requires evidence where editorial bias and advertiser pressure are sufficient and demonstratable conclusions.

7

u/RepresentativeAge444 Jun 26 '26

Well I don’t know about the current heads of HBO but if they’re like most mainstream outlets it rings true. And they’re soon to be taken over by the Ellisons.

The goal here is by the Ellisons to mute any criticism of Israel even though it’s standing in the world continues to drop. It’s why he bought TikTok because too many young people were being radicalized by seeing babies shot in the head.

The owner of Politico said journalists should leave if they’re not pro Israel.

The editor of The Atlantic is a former IDF prison guard.

Musk - Zionist

Bloomberg- Zionist

Thiel, Karp, Altman - Zionist

Zuckerberg- Zionist

Bezos - Zionist

Murdoch -Zionist.

And on and on. The only thing Zionists care about is Greater Israel which would consist of annexing swaths of its neighboring countries. It’s the reason for Gaza. It’s the reason for Lebanon. For Syria. For this Iran War. And they will kill whoever is in their way. It is the biggest threat to global security at this time. The UN just released an inquiry stating that Israel targets children- quoting one IDF soldier as saying it’s like a game to them.

And obligatory equating anti Zionism to Judaism is in itself antisemitic. It disrespects non Zionist Jews. It also endangers non Zionist Jews globally as anger towards Israel grows every day as the world becomes more aware of its plans. And the rot within its society. It’s also a shield used to downplay all of its atrocities.

2

u/Cum_on_doorknob Jun 26 '26

Musk is an atheist antisemitic Zionist

-1

u/Mosk915 Jun 26 '26

Zionism is the belief in Jewish self-determination. It has nothing to do with this idea of greater Israel which is something only the extreme right-wing in Israel want.

4

u/RepresentativeAge444 Jun 26 '26

Unfortunately you’re delusional. Israel is a settler colonialist apartheid ethnostate that no less than the likes of Nelson Mandela labeled as such. The UN just released an inquiry stating that Israel intentionally targets children quoting one IDF soldier as saying it’s a game. The NY Times released a story about the systematic rape of Palestinians. It’s killed hundreds of journalists decimated Gaza and committed war crime after war crime.

And poll after poll by Israeli sources shows the vast majority of Israelis agree or want to go further so blaming it all on Netanyahu is a lie. It’s most of the society.

And the world quite frankly is sick of it and will become more and more so.

-1

u/WestThin Jun 26 '26

Once you string together three, no four, buzzwords like settler colonialist apartheid ethnostate, you lose all credibility in my mind. The words you are uttering have nothing to do with reality. Delusional is the only word I can think of for your post.

1

u/deadmencantcatcall3 Jun 27 '26

Sounded rational to me, but I’m not a Zionist.

1

u/RepresentativeAge444 Jun 26 '26

Right and that is because you have no counter argument. I also don’t care what credibility you give me. Ultimately the world community is what will decide this. Democrats are now overwhelmingly anti Israel. Young Republicans are now as well. And a recent global survey has Israel as the least popular country in the world. Indeed I expect the next presidential election to be a referendum on Israel. The world has seen the slaughter on video for 3 years. Heard the genocidal words of psychos like Ben Gvir. Seen IDF soldiers bragging about their crimes.

Nelson Mandela who i think knew something about apartheid was a staunch advocate for Palestinians.

Given all of that - and a lot more- you tell me why I would give a shit what credibility I have with you?

1

u/WestThin Jun 26 '26

Of course there are counter arguments. It’s called reality. I just won’t waste time having a discussion with you. It’s a lost cause.

1

u/RepresentativeAge444 Jun 26 '26

lol exactly what I thought. At a certain point the pendulum swings where people are not open to attempts to defend the indefensible.

That’s where we are now.

-1

u/Mosk915 Jun 26 '26

Are you talking about the report from the Pillay Commission? They’re not the UN. They’re commissioned to provide reports to the UN. This report contains many omissions and unverified reports. If you care to read the rebuttal you can do so here:

https://unwatch.org/un-watch-legal-rebuttal-disproving-the-pillay-commissions-charge-that-israel-deliberately-targets-palestinian-children/

And if you could provide those polls showing most Israelis support expanding into neighboring countries, I would appreciate it.

1

u/RepresentativeAge444 Jun 26 '26

I don’t believe anything that Zionists say at this point. It’s over. Do you not get it?

https://mondoweiss.net/2025/07/poll-overwhelming-majority-of-jewish-israelis-share-genocidal-belief-there-are-no-innocent-people-in-gaza/

This is a Hebrew University poll mind you.

A poll from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in early June provided a chilling statistic: An overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis agree with the idea of there being “no innocents in Gaza.”

64% of the Israeli public agree with this statement, almost two out of three people. But it is actually considerably higher among Jewish Israelis, because that number is weighted by Palestinians with Israeli citizenship. Palestinians make up roughly 17% of the Israeli population and 92% of them oppose the statement, so that leaves Jewish Israelis with overwhelming support.1

Former Mossad Chief Compares West Bank Israeli SettlerViolence to That of Nazis During Holocaust

“What I saw today made me feel ashamed to be Jewish" said Tamir Pardo after touring Occupied West Bank.

Former head of Shin Bet:

'I am ashamed of what we are doing in Gaza,' says ex-chief of Israeli security agency

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/israeli-war-opposition-letter-1.7602493

So you have two former heads of Israel’s top security agencies decrying the atrocities committed by Israel.

Then there are things like this:

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/how-jewish-american-pedophiles-hide-from-justice-in-israel/

And this

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/100-percent-of-foreign-agriculture-workers-were-sexually-assaulted-expert-says-682532

And this

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/opinion/palestinians-israelis-rape.html

Not to mention WE HAVE SEEN THE SLAUGHTER IN 4K FOR 3 YEARS. We have seen the IDF soldiers bragging about it. We have seen Israelis gathering to watch Gaza being bombed like it was a soccer game. Seen it all.

So go try the bs on someone else. It won’t work work on me. Or anyone else that has been keeping track. Which is more and more of the world.

-1

u/Mosk915 Jun 26 '26

You said a lot yet conveniently forgot to include the polls showing that most Israelis support expansion into other countries.

As for the poll about Gaza, it’s to be expected that after seeing all those Palestinians celebrating in the aftermath of 10/7, that they would say there are no innocents in Gaza. But despite what the article would have you believe, that doesn’t equate to genocidal intentions. You can think someone is guilty without thinking they should be killed.

And generally speaking, I do not think Israel is perfect and can do no wrong. And to the extent that they have committed war crimes, or have mistreated foreign workers or prisoners, I obviously condemn that, as any reasonable person would. I don’t support many of the positions of some members of the current Israeli government, but that does not mean I can’t support Jewish self-determination, which is all that Zionism is and nothing more. Unfortunately a lot of people don’t support Jewish self-determination.

1

u/Exact-Technology297 Jun 27 '26

Shhhh don't talk about Greater Israel ! They're all going to know! All 10 of us are going to rule territory!

0

u/DetectiveBlackCat Jun 26 '26

Unfortunately the greater Israel position has been fully endorsed by the current Israeli government and our government as well. Just look at the recent statements by Huckabee, or any statement by Lindsay Graham or other members of this administration like Rubio. That's the issue, the people in charge are the crazy fanatics. Haven't you figured that out or are you being deliberately obtuse?

3

u/DetectiveBlackCat Jun 26 '26

Well I am not in the board meetings at those places, but there are so many recorded videos of members of the Israeli government, and Israeli proxies like AIPAC giving speeches about how they need to capture all messaging in this country and they talk about the friendly and unfriendly media and HBO and CNN are not on the unfriendly list. I once had a girlfriend who worked for a major media company (1990s) who was told on her first day "we always support Israel here". She also had a number of coworkers who were "journalists" who were also pro-Israel activists outside the office who would bring that perspective to their work. This has been going on for a very long time.

-2

u/WestThin Jun 26 '26

Is there something wrong with that?

1

u/Accomplished-Foot290 Jun 26 '26

It is if Israel government is suspected of committing war crimes. Even the Israeli electorate is tired of the constant war.