Bill Maher called out political activism by celebrities, targeting comedian Dave Chappelle for his “stupid” remarks about freedom of speech in America.
The “Real Time” host fired back at Chappelle for comments during the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, in which he suggested the Middle Eastern country has freer speech than the United States.
Maher’s monologue took aim at the “f**king posers” in Hollywood and their political activism as they sport pins and ribbons and drone on about trending causes in their speeches.
(Video Credit: Bill Maher)
“Dave Chappelle lashed out at me last month because I called him out for saying there was more free speech in Saudi Arabia than here. Well, I was right,” Maher said. “What he said was stupid.”
Chappelle had complained that he’s “so f—— tired of [Maher’s] little smug, cracker-a– commentary” in his Netflix special, “The Unstoppable.” At Saudi Arabia’s comedy festival last October, Chappelle got cheers from the crowd when he attacked U.S. free speech.
“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” the comedian said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.”
“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” he added, referring to the Saudi nation that is not a champion of civil liberties.
Maher called out Chappelle for his comments at the time, and in his latest “Real Time” episode, he said that while “America has many problems,” it is still a far cry from Saudi Arabia when it comes to free speech.
“If you don’t believe me, try opening a lesbian art gallery there. Or wearing a T-shirt that says Jesus is the one true God,” he said.
“Ricky’s right. Celebrities don’t know about the real world,” Maher added, referring to comedian Ricky Gervais, who blasted the Hollywood elite in his 2020 Golden Globes speech.
“So Democrats, it’s great that you have all the big celebs. But people see them as an arm of the Democratic Party, which they already suspect for lacking common sense,” Maher said.
“I know the celebrities mean well, and we thank them for having their heart in the right place. But just do you do what you do so well. Use your extraordinary talents for the noble cause of bringing relief from the problems that ribbons and pins can’t fix,” the HBO show host continued.
“I know it’s very important to you that you feel that you’re making a difference. So let me assure you, you are. You’re making independents vote Republican,” he concluded.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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