Bill Maher Makes Announcement About His Show Amid Strike

Bill Maher in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2017. Michael Kovac/Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief Organization

Bill Maher announced that his HBO show will return without writers amid a weeks-long strike that has shuttered a number of Hollywood productions.

“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work,” the longtime “Real Time” host wrote Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Since May, Hollywood writers have been on strike and have made demands to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers such as increased wages, better residuals, and protections against artificial intelligence. The union representing actors, SAG-AFTRA, also went on strike in July due to labor disputes with the Alliance.

Mr. Maher, 56, said that he understands the concerns raised by the striking writers, but he noted that some of his staffers were financially hurting by the strike.

“The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily,” the comedian added, noting: “I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.”

In response, the Writers Guild of America wrote that Mr. Maher’s decision was “disappointing,“ adding that it will have a difficult time returning to the air ”without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place.“ The guild added it plans on ”picketing” the HBO show.

Hollywood actors join the industry’s writers on the picket line after their union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), authorized a strike against major studios, outside of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., on July 14, 2023. Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times

Previously, Mr. Maher has been critical of the writers’ strike and said their demands are unrealistic. “What I find objectionable about the philosophy of this strike is it seems to be—they have morphed a long way from the 2007 strike—where they kind of believe you’re owed a living as a writer. And you’re not,” he said on his podcast earlier in the month.

In his post on X, Mr. Maher said his show likely won’t be as good without writers. However, he said that “the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through [expletive] and predictable partisanship, and that will continue,” adding: “The show will not disappoint.”

Warner Bros. Discovery told news outlets that Mr. Maher’s “Real Time” on HBO would comply with the Writers Guild strike. “In compliance with the WGA strike, the series will return without writers and therefore will not have any written pieces including a monologue, desk piece, New Rules, or editorial,” a spokesperson said.

Aside from his decision, actress Drew Barrymore said on Instagram that she would be bringing back her show during the strike. Her announcement drew backlash, and the National Book Award ceremony subsequently dropped her as a host a day after her announcement.

“The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture,” the National Book Foundation said in a statement Tuesday. “In light of the announcement that ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony.”

Mrs. Barrymore’s show—a daytime talk show on CBS—falls under a different set of rules with the actors guild. But Barrymore’s show employs at least three writers who are members of the writers guild, while The Associated Press reported that the writers are picketing outside CBS’s offices on Monday.

“I own this choice,” Ms. Barrymore said in a statement on social media. “We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.