Bill Maher is taping his show, which usually means no mention of the news that appears on Friday.
This was the case on Friday at presentAs earlier in the day, stories broke that Maher had fired his longtime clients at CAA, allegedly by not inviting him to agency head Brian Lourd’s house party during Oscars week.
Ironically, Maher’s op-ed, “The New Rules,” was about the tendency to complain about the little things in life.
“Being obsessed with your mental health is bad for your mental health,” he declared. He linked this to why President Joe Biden’s approval rating is so low “when things are so good.” He cited the modern blessings of next-day shopping, stuffed pizza, and porn on your phone. So, he advised, “Cheer up.”
“Yes, you are on the spectrum,” Maher said. “That’s how everyone survives. That’s why they call it the Spectrum.”
Maher talked about the time he asked Elmo on social media how everyone was doing. Maher noted, “People responded to it as if it were a suicide hotline.” “But you think it’s bad – try to live your life with a man’s forearm cramming your ass.”
Earlier, Maher interviewed Eric Holder, former attorney general under President Obama, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, and co-author of Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Endangered Future of Voting – History, Crisis, Plan.
The highly partisan Holder has focused on the silver linings of the dark clouds in recent Biden approval polls. He dismissed the low approvals as something that happened in March, and predicted things would change by the November election.
“There’s work to do, but I’m optimistic,” Holder said, making a joke about Trump’s cognitive abilities. “Are you better now than you were four years ago? You’re right,” he said.
This week’s panel discussion included Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina who currently serves on the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democratic congresswoman who represents California’s Silicon Valley and is a member of President Biden’s National Advisory Board. .
Mace gamely tried to pinpoint problems with Biden’s record — “It’s terrible,” she said at one point — but Maher twisted her points.
At one point, Maher asked her how she could support Trump, since Mace herself was a rape victim and had publicly discussed her assault. She corrected Maher that Trump was found guilty of defamation in the E. Jean Carroll trial, and criticized her recent interview with George Stephanopoulos, who asked her the same question. Mace cited his association with the Clintons and the presence of her young daughter on the set as the reason she felt humiliated during questioning.