“Real Time is coming back” – Bill Maher is a scab for bringing his show back to make money.
“What I find objectionable about the philosophy of the strike [is] it seems to be, they have really morphed a long way from 2007’s strike, where they kind of believe that you’re owed a living as a writer, and you’re not. This is show business. This is the make-or-miss league,” said Maher about the WGA’s demands to the AMPTP in a work stoppage that’s gone on for 127 days.
Bill Maher’s talk show is coming back to HBO … he says he can’t keep waiting around for the writers’ strike to end and wants to get other folks back to earning a paycheck.
The “Real Time with Bill Maher” host announced his program’s return Wednesday in a social media post … he doesn’t say when the show will air but says it will have a different look without writers.
Bill’s been outspoken about the strike recently, even calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to step in and help end the stalemate.
Bill says he was hoping the strike would end after Labor Day, but that’s since passed and he feels “there still seems to be nothing happening.”
He adds … “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 conversation started when this week’s guest, Jim Gaffigan, broached that the strike might kill late-night. Maher’s HBO show Real Time ended his most recent season on April 28. The WGA went on strike at the beginning of May.
Maher also emphasized that when it comes to the entire entertainment industry ecosystem, it’s not just about the scribes. A significant number of other parties are impacted by the industry work stoppage, which is further compounded by the SAG-AFTRA strike; the actors guild began picketing July 14.
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 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. I will honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial, the written pieces that I am so proud of on Real Time. And I’ll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. 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.
