Bill Maher is becoming an insufferable clown.

Remember that adage of people becoming caricatures of themselves? Real Time seems to be getting worse as Bill turns into a ‘budget Joe Rogan’ / curmudgeon stereotype, whining about the youngins’ stepping on his lawn and playing loud rock music.

The people he’s platformed this year are a cavalcade of abysmal circus clowns. It’s been a line up of anti-vax kooks, grifters, and transphobes. We get it Bill - you think vaccines are poison, and transgender women are mentally ill men (does Bill know that trans men exist? Intense doubt.). Platforming these people is one thing, but Bill seems to passively agree with them, or just say nothing against their vile sputum. Bill never shuts up about how much he hates Liberals, but when Ben Shapiro lied through his teeth, it was as if someone found Bill’s mute button and pressed it.

His show format sucks now too. Remember when we had a three guest panel, and a final guest appearance at the end? I know they have COVID rules, but I’m sure the same panel size could be accomplished in other creative ways. Given the guests Bill invites now, a higher number of voices would probably be better too, and less infuriating.

Bill’s constant whining about millennials (and now gen Z) is nauseating. We get it Bill - you think that the younger demographic side of the country is full of spoiled children that want to sit around and paint our nails all day rather than doing real work. This sounds eerily similar to the insipid Republican meme that the younger generations are lazy commies that are only poor because they aren’t working hard enough. I don’t know what’s worse - this, or Bill’s incessant sniveling about his now-installed solar panels?

What really set me off to write this was last episode. Regarding COVID, Bill outright said that the scientists are wrong, and that he knows more than the scientists. Really Bill? Can you really allow your ego to expand and stretch further? Aren’t you afraid it’ll burst, exerting a shockwave much like that of a thermonuclear warhead? Perhaps this is all an elaborate performance to demonstrate the Dunning-Kruger effect in real time?

In closing, this feels like more of a post mortem of a show that’s dumpster-ready. The arrogant blowhard shtick only goes so far if you become that which you are parodying.