For more than twenty-five years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on Politically Incorrect (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for more than twenty years on HBO’s Real Time, Bill’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 42 Emmy nominations. Bill won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, VICE. In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, Religulous, directed by Larry Charles (Borat).
In naming him the 6th most influential person in media for 2023, Mediaite noted that on Real Time, “Maher is able to hit the right topic and right guests to dominate Saturday’s social media buzz, and the comments made by those guests follow them into Sunday interviews and the next week’s conversations in politics and culture.” Those guests have included President Barack Obama, then Vice President Joseph Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Howard Stern, Elon Musk, Barbra Streisand, Kerry Washington, Steve Martin & Martin Short, Megyn Kelly, Ronan Farrow, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Eva Longoria, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jim Carrey, Sen. Ted Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Gary Hart and Pat Buchanan.
Most recently, Bill released his blockbuster, New York Times bestselling book What This Comedian Said Will Shock You. (Simon & Schuster) A brilliantly astute and acerbically funny vivisection of American life, politics, and culture, it is Maher’s first book in more than a decade. He has written five bestsellers: True Story, Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits, When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden, New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer, and The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.
In 2022, Bill launched a new podcast, Club Random with Bill Maher. The podcast records at the bar on his property in Los Angeles, called Club Random, where he hosts hour-long, one-on-one interviews with a wide range of eclectic guests. Each episode features free flowing, long-form conversations about anything and everything. Guests have included David Mamet, Margaret Cho, John Mellencamp, Ice Cube, Jon Hamm, Olivia Culpo, Sean Penn, and many more. Within a week of launching, the podcast hit #1 on Apple Podcasts. Regarding Club Random, Mediaite proclaimed, “Maher is one of the few people in media to achieve true multi-platform success. By establishing himself as a brand, Maher’s podcast Club Random has become a destination, jam-packed with big name celebrities, journalists, comics, and politicians. And importantly, often the names that won’t get a one-on-one anywhere else.” Additionally, he launched the podcast platform Club Random Studios, producing podcasts for Sage Steele, Fred Durst, Shane Smith, and others.
He started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979, and still performs at least fifty dates a year in Las Vegas and in sold out theaters all across the country. Bill has also been recognized with numerous Emmy nominations for his stand-up specials for HBO. He’s done 12 solo specials for the premium cable channel including, Bill Maher: Be More Cynical (2000), I’m Swiss (2005), Bill Maher … But I’m Not Wrong (2010), Bill Maher: Live From Oklahoma (2018), and his most recent, #Adulting (2022). In 2026, he was awarded the esteemed Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
He was born in New York City, raised in River Vale, N.J. and went to Cornell University. Bill now resides in Los Angeles.
