HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher may be temporarily closed due to the writers’ strike, but you can still get your weekly dose of the late-night host/star of 1991 Pizza man via Maher’s podcast and YouTube show Club Randomwhich, judging by the artwork, is about a Jedi Force spirit sipping a radioactive martini in a softcore porn movie.
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Made at the end of 2022, Club Random is clearly Maher’s sweaty bumbling attempt to be seen not as a suit-wearing corporate stooge, but rather as a pot-smoking, free-speech-loving libertarian cool dude. At first glance, it certainly feels like Maher got jealous Joe Rogan‘s popularity and decided to launch his own laid back, ‘anti-woke’ podcast, then commissioned his staff to build a mancave/studio that resembled a midlife crisis themed escape room. And a deeper look does little to diminish that feeling.
Gone are the fancy clothes and structured political discussions of Real time; instead, a clothed Maher and his guests smoke weed, drink booze and “talk about anything and everything except politics.” It’s sort of the cable TV equivalent of seeing your high school principal outside of school, wearing sweatpants and getting hammered on a suburban chiles.
Of course, Maher’s claim that this is his apolitical show is utter nonsense, as Maher routinely goes out of his way to cozy up to far-right media personalities away from the scrutiny of his HBO audience, with guests like Piers Morgan and Fox News’ late night “comedian” Greg Gutfeld.
This is not exactly new territory for Maher, who is controversial interviewed Milo Yiannopoulos And Steve Bannon up Real time, and also recently invited Elon Musk to the show to warn America about the biological horrors of the “woke mind virus.”
But if political problems arise Club Random, they are unequivocally framed as part of a relaxed conversation between friends, which is when the cracks in the facade begin to appear. An example is kidrockMaher’s anti-choice stances receive only the slightest backlash from the “pro-choice”. The same goes for Rock’s raging transphobia and his story of a friendly lunch with far-right Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently railed against “mix race” to defend his anti-immigration policy.
Then there was the “Chaotic” Richard Dreyfuss episode which made headlines for its mind-boggling content. Dreyfuss was somehow unable to sit in his armchair without sinking to the floor like a sack of heavily medicated potatoes, arbitrarily assuring Maher and America that he never thought about his mother during the wank. Good luck enjoying Mr. Holland’s opus again with that anecdote firmly rooted in your brain.
Further implying that the set’s neon decor is driven by gross fear of old men, there was the time when Maher lectured ESPN’s resident hot-take factory Stephen A. Smith on how he doesn’t like women with “giant asses”.
And Sean Penn showed up to rant about trans people and pronouns, which are clearly a bigger threat to society than, shall we say, alleged domestic violence or confirmed terrible novels.
Again, on reflection, despite promises to witness a new side of himself, many of the discussions continued Club Random just echoes Maher’s same, often regurgitated talking points Real timeincluding the fat shameful And transphobia. But when he’s dressed like he’s on his way to a 15-year-old’s house party and is in what appears to be a depressed TG Fridayare Maher’s bullshit arguments even more nakedly hollow – the only added insight is that, frankly, Maher’s life outside of the suit and tie is just a little sad.
New Rule: Get some hobbies.
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