Real Time With Bill Maher Will Be the First Late-Night Show to Return Post-Writers Strike

HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher will be the first late-night show to return after the end of the Writers Guild of America Strike.

Maher announced the news Tuesday evening via X (formerly Twitter), posting “My writers and Real Time are back! See you Friday Night!”

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Maher’s news came soon after the WGA announced that the writers strike would officially end at 12:01 am PT Wednesday. The full guild still needs to vote to approve the contract agreed to with the AMPTP, with the vote set for Oct. 2-9, but in the meantime, TV writers’ rooms can reconvene.

Later on Wednesday, CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers announced they would all return with new episodes on Monday, Oct. 2. HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver will kick off its new season this Sunday, Oct. 1. (Get more details here.)

In mid-September, Maher drew criticism from WGA members when he made clear his intention to go through with the show’s scheduled Sept. 22 premiere, albeit sans without his writers. “Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing,” Maher wrote in a post on X at the time. “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work.”

Maher explained that he would “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.”

In response, the WGA 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.”

Maher later reversed his position and made clear that he’d delay the premiere.

“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher shared. “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”

Other talk shows hosted by Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Hudson, as well as CBS’ The Talk, also delayed their premieres because of the strike. ABC’s The View did not halt production during the work stoppage.

Are you looking forward to Real Time‘s return? Hit the comments with your thoughts!

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