Jimmy Kimmel made headlines over a month ago following the suspension of his eponymous talk show at ABC. The network decided to take such action after Kimmel made comments tied to the death of polarizing political pundit Charlie Kirk. A wave of celebrities showed support for Kimmel, whose suspension was eventually lifted after five days. Fellow talk show hosts also came to his defense, including Bill Maher. Now, though, Maher is under the impression that Kimmel no longer likes him.
Bill Maher – who’s been on Jimmy Kimmel Live! multiple times over the years – discussed his peer’s situation during his Club Random podcast. Maher’s guest, Michael Rapaport, specifically asked him for his opinion on what Kimmel said on air. The Real Time star said he was “forthright” about supporting Kimmel on air, even though he didn’t agree with his sentiment. However, despite his show of support, Maher cites one moment from Kimmel’s first post-suspension broadcast as an indication of the status of their relationship:
Look, Jimmy apparently doesn't like me too much anymore because he thanked everybody but me. And I was adamant, adamant, about supporting him that week and the next week.
Upon his return to the airwaves following his suspension, Jimmy Kimmel gave a monologue in which he thanked a number of current late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers. Kiimmel also thanked right-leaning political pundits like Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro for also showing forms of support. However, Maher – who also voiced support on his own show – was notably left out of Kimmel’s address. Of course, at this point, the assertion that Kimmel no longer likes Maher is only an assumption on the latter’s part.
What Jimmy Kimmel specifically said that led to his show’s suspension, was about Charlie Kirk’s 22-year-old supposed murderer. He said, “We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr later suggested on a podcast that the Alphabet Network’s broadcast license could be revoked as a result. Subsequently, broadcasters Sinclair and Nexstar dropped Kimmel’s show from its ABC affiliates.
Although Bill Maher agreed that Kimmel had “the right to be wrong,” he’s also been honest when sharing his thoughts on how some talk show hosts use political humor. It’s been Maher’s contention that “everybody makes their decisions based on the politics of the art and not the art itself” and that many hosts cater towards one specific political ideology. Maher expanded on that sentiment during his recent conversation:
My problem with him and hosts like that, quite frankly, they’re all quite similar in this regard, is they’re ideally captured by one side. It’s just not what I do [and] what I’m doing. There’s a reason why half the country feels insulted by them and has turned off to them, because it’s just one very predictable point of view.
Veteran talk show host Jay Leno shared similar sentiments on the use of political humor, which he admitted he could appreciate. However, Leno also feels that some modern hosts lean too far to one side of the aisle. Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver vehemently disagreed with Leno, arguing that comedy is “inherently subjective” and “can’t be for everyone.”
When it comes to Jimmy Kimmel’s comments, it’s likely that people will continue to have their opinions on them. As for the current nature of Kimmel’s relationship with Maher, only time will tell if he chooses to address the claim that he no longer likes the HBO host.
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