"Real Time With Bill Maher" Had Show Business on its Mind

Is a memoir also a kind of obituary? That was one of the subjects Bill Maher brought up when Barry Diller joined him on this week’s Real Time. Diller, who is 83, was there to talk about his own memoir Who Knew. Maher stated the obvious: that Diller was unlikely to have another 80-odd years on Earth to chronicle in a second volume. Quoth Diller, “They’re making advances in medicine all the time.”

For the most part, it wasn’t longevity or mortality that Maher wanted to talk about with Diller; instead, it was Diller’s copious experience in, and knowledge of, the entertainment industry. He began with an understandable topic, asking Diller what he thought of AI.

Diller went for the quips first, saying, “Before they kill us, they’re going to give us a happy ending.” Then he took on a more sober tone, predicting that AGI would result in a massive civilizational transformation. Maher was on the same page, predicting changes to society that would be “a thousand times more consequential” than the Renaissance.

Diller went on to discuss Hollywood’s ability to consume different aspects of culture, a quality that, he argued, Netflix had permanently changed. “Nothing can dislodge Netflix,” he said.

The theme of show business would return later in the episode, but the interview with Diller shifted into a more personal realm, with Diller recalling his own fears about being open about his sexuality. “It was like having an anvil over your head on a thin, clippable wire,” he said — and added that he felt challenged trying to explain that feeling to younger gay people today. Diller also contemplated whether that had led him to his success in business: “If you have one big fear, you’re not afraid of much else.”

There’s less to say about this week’s panel discussion, when Jake Tapper and Rep. Seth Moulton took to the stage. Of Original Sin, the book Tapper co-wrote with Alex Thompson, Maher said, “I feel like this book gave us closure.” And there was an awkward moment when Maher referred to Harvard as an “asshole factory,” at which point Tapper noted that Moulton has three degrees from there.

Bill Maher Explored the Comedian as Rock Star

Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong paid the show a visit

In the evening’s final segment, Maher returned to the subject of the entertainment industry through a very different lens: that of the ongoing Diddy trial. Specifically, Maher looked at it in light of the MeToo movement, and argued that its effects on society meant that women need to leave abusive relationships right away. “We’re not in the ‘no one listens to women or takes them seriously’ era any more,” he said.

Over the course of his argument, Maher brought up some other high-profile cases, including FKA Twigs’ lawsuit against Shia Labeouf. “This should be society’s new grand bargain: we take every accusation seriously, but don’t tell me any more about your contemporaneous account that you said to two friends 10 years ago,” Maher said. “Tell the police right away. Don’t wait a decade. Don’t journal about it. Don’t turn it into a one-woman show. And, most importantly, don’t keep fucking him.”

“If we’re going to have an honest conversation about abuse, we also have to have an honest conversation about what people are willing to do for stardom,” he continued.

There’s a lot to discuss there — and plenty of arguments to be made about why Maher’s “grand bargain” might not work as smoothly as he predicts. As with some of the bolder arguments made on Real Time, we’ll see if any of them surface on subsequent episodes.

Other notable moments from this week’s episode:

Maher on Elon Musk: “He has to be the first person in the world to take Ecstasy and be overcome by a blissful feeling that made him want to fire everyone at the National Weather Service.”
Maher on the president’s recent pardons: “You don’t usually see levels of corruption like this in countries that have paved roads.”
Maher’s latest book is out in paperback on June 3: “It was awesome a year ago; it hasn’t gotten any worse.”
Maher on a certain canned vodka drink: “Mom Water: Because people stare when you take a bottle of Stoli to the playground.”