Real Time with Bill Maher returning to HBO amid writers

Real Time with Bill Maher will return to HBO without writers on September 22nd, Maher announced. The decision comes as the writer’s strike continues, five months after it began, with no end in sight.

“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing,” Maher said on Twitter. “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work.”

Maher continued, “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. We all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening. 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.”

The host said he would “honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial,” the written pieces of the show, and focus only on its panel discussion.

“The show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop,” Maher concluded. “But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullshit and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint.” Read his full statement below.

Real Time’s return comes after Drew Barrymore announced earlier this week that she was bringing back her talk show. The announcement inspired many actors to criticize the decision, and the Writers Guild of America quickly picketed outside the studio when taping resumed.

Meanwhile, instead of bringing back their shows, late night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver opted to create the podcast Strike Force Five in order to help out their staffs.

Revisit our explainers on the WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike.

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 writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people…

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) September 14, 2023

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