Maher apologizes for using racial slur on talk show
HBO late-night host Bill Maher apologized Saturday for using a racial slur during an interview on his show, “Real Time,” which led to a firestorm of criticism, including from the cable network.
“Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live show,” Maher said in a statement Saturday. “Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.”
Maher’s apology came the day after he used the N-word during a conversation with Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. The comment drew condemnation across the political spectrum.
Maher was talking Friday night to Sasse about the senator’s book, “The Vanishing American Adult,” which explores why today’s young people are unable to survive in a competitive global economy. The conversation drifted to Halloween and how dressing up is no longer just a children’s tradition. Sasse said adults don’t do that quite as much in his state because it’s frowned upon. In response, Maher said he should visit Nebraska more.
The senator joked that he would like to have Maher visit Nebraska and work in the fields. Maher responded by using a slur in a joke that he was a house slave. The comedian immediately waved off audience groans. “It’s a joke,” he said.
A smiling Sasse didn’t say anything about the comment, and the conversation moved forward. Both men are white.
In a statement sent to media outlets, HBO called Maher’s comments “inexcusable and tasteless” and said the network will remove that segment from future airings of the show.
Others, including Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson and Jack Posobiec, a Donald Trump supporter who writes for TheRebel.media, have called for Maher to be fired. #FireBillMaher is circulating on Twitter.
Sasse also was criticized for his reaction. In a series of tweets Saturday, he talked about how he should have responded.
“Here’s what I wish I’d been quick enough to say in the moment: ‘Hold up, why would you think it’s OK to use that word? The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It’s therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don’t use it,’ ” Sasse wrote.