“Real Time” host and comedian Bill Maher faced condemnation from Hollywood, journalists, and a Democratic strategist on social media after making comments questioning transgender children “experimenting” with hormone blockers.
During a Friday night monologue, Maher discussed hormone blockers and the statistical increase in LGBT-identifying people, saying “We’re literally experimenting on children,” which ignited a flurry of backlash on Twitter. (RELATED: ‘We’re Literally Experimenting On Children’: Bill Maher Rips LGBT Activists In Latest Monologue)
.@billmaher is risking it all… https://t.co/zVa8E9lY4s
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) May 21, 2022
“Reno 911!” actor Carlos Alazraqui called out Maher, stating that his personal experience as a parent tells a different story, saying his daughters are “both into boys & love being girls.”
Live in CA. No religion in our home. Youngest daughter plays baseball with boys. Oldest plays girls softball. Both on social media. Have transgender friends. Both are into boys & love being girls. Either my grooming skills suck or they secretly live in Ohio #BillMaher #groomer
— Carlos Alazraqui (@carlosalazraqui) May 22, 2022
Hollywood writer and director Jessica Ellis called Maher “mean,” and described him as “not a smart guy.” (RELATED: CNN’s Jake Tapper Takes A Blowtorch To Hollywood’s Relationship With Communist China)
Bill Maher is not a smart guy. He’s a mean guy. We often confuse the two.
— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) May 21, 2022
Staff from The Daily Beast and The Atlantic took aim at Maher’s monologue as well. (RELATED: Daily Beast Reporter Resigns After Blatantly Plagiarizing Article)
Andy Levy, host of The Daily Beast podcast “The New Abnormal,” responded negatively to a tweet from Republican Georgia Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene that thanked the comedian for his controversial comments:
it’s impossible to overstate just how much bill maher sucks https://t.co/ahSCkx8hdf
— andy™ (@andylevy) May 21, 2022
Atlantic writer and Daily Beast editor-at-large Molly Jong-Fast also expressed distaste for Greene’s applause of Maher:
Pretty good sign you’re doing it wrong Bill Maher pic.twitter.com/ft9WFPfQG2
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 21, 2022
Law and Policy Senior Editor Imani Gandy of Rewire News Group opined that Maher was “a bad person with bad opinions:”
One thing I like to do is ignore Bill Maher because he’s a bad person with bad opinions.
— ⚓️Imani Two-Kitchens Gandy⚓️ (@AngryBlackLady) May 21, 2022
Another critic was rock music writer Dan Ozzi, who took aim at Maher, fellow comedian Dave Chappelle and “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling all in one tweet:
sincerely, ZERO tolerance for anyone who has made transphobia part of their personality. it’s killing people.
fuck bill maher.
fuck ch-ppelle.
fuck the harry potter moron.
transphobes fuck off.
— Dan Ozzi (@danozzi) May 21, 2022
Democratic strategist and former Obama campaign official Jon Cooper also joined the conversation:
For a guy with no children, Bill Maher sure has a lot of advice to offer parents on how to raise their own kids.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) May 21, 2022
Pro-LGBT media organization GLAAD issued a statement against Maher:
This is not the first time Bill Maher has spouted inaccurate, anti-trans rhetoric. But this time he’s targeting youth. Pundits who fearmonger about trans youth and surgeries need to learn the facts. It’s not a trend. It’s not a phase. Youth are not rushed into medical transition.
— GLAAD (@glaad) May 21, 2022
Northwestern University Professor Steven W. Thrasher called Maher several names in a thread:
There’s nothing more to say: Bill Maher is homophobic, transphobic, Islamophbic, xenophobic, racist, sexist, fatphobic, and ableist. It’s who he has long shown himself to be. There’s nothing more to say!
— Dr. Thrasher (@thrasherxy) May 21, 2022
The next episode of “Real Time With Bill Maher” will air June 6 at 10 p.m. Eastern.