Bill Maher’s Real Time Will Return Without Its Writers; WGA Says It Will Be Picketing the Show

Kimberly Roots
·3 min read
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A real stripped-down version of Real Time With Bill Maher will return to HBO without its writing staff, host Bill Maher announced Wednesday.

“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing,” Maher wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work.”

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The series will be the first late-night offering to return since the Writers Guild of America went on strike in May and several shows, including Saturday Night Live, immediately went on hiatus. Real Time With Bill Maher will return on Friday, Sept. 22, at 10/9c.

“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,” Maher wrote. “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.”

Maher explained that he will “honor the spirit of the strike” by skipping several of his show’s hallmarks, such as the opening monologue and New Rules, a comedic segment that usually follows a panel discussion. He also pointed out that he will make clear to the audience that “the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop.”

He continued: “But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullsh-t and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint.”

Per HBO, the guests who’ll take part in that discussion have not yet been determined.

Following Maher’s announcement, the Writers Guild of America released the following statement: “Bill Maher’s decision to go back on the air while his Guild is on strike is disappointing. If he goes forward with his plan, he needs to honor more than ‘the spirit of the strike.’ Bill Maher is obligated as a WGA member to follow the strike rules and not perform any writing services. It is difficult to imagine how Real Time With Bill Maher can go forward without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place. WGA will be picketing this show.”

Earlier this week, Drew Barrymore garnered criticism for her decision to go ahead with her eponymous talk show’s Season 4 premiere, which is slated for Monday, Sept. 18. “I own this choice,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “We are in compliance with not discussion or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind… I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience.”

Barrymore’s choice led the National Book Awards to drop her as host of its upcoming ceremony. “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 announcing the change of plan. “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.”

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