Breitbart editor and alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been officially announced as the top-of-show interview guest on this week’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.” The appearance comes just two weeks after his speaking appearance at UC Berkeley was shut down by riots triggered by anti-fascist groups.
Maher has been reportedly trying to book Yiannopoulos for “Real Time” for weeks, and last week, Yiannopoulos said during an interview on Adam Carolla’s podcast that he was hoping to appear on the show by the end of the month. It should come as no surprise to those familiar with Maher that he would reach out to Milo, as “Real Time” has become known for bringing on conservative pundits and politicians to lock horns with the liberal host. Tomi Lahren and Piers Morgan have both made headlines for their heated talks with Maher in recent weeks, and Ann Coulter — a close friend of Maher — is one of the shows most frequent regulars.
Yiannopoulos has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most outspoken voices of the alt-right movement, which has risen to prominence as Donald Trump has taken the White House. The term “alt-right” was coined by white supremacist Richard Spencer. The message board “r/altright” was recently shut down by Reddit, one of its moderators describing the page as “full of white nationalists, racial realists, and fascists.”
As for Yiannopoulos himself, he’s drawn the ire of the left with columns on Breitbart arguing that “fat shaming works” and declaring in interviews that “feminism is cancer.” He was banned from Twitter after posting tweets attacking “SNL” comedian Leslie Jones, which led to his supporters harassing Jones en masse with vulgar, racists messages.
Most recently, Yiannopoulos has made headlines for his college speaking tour, which has triggered protests at several campuses. He invited indicted pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli to speak with him at UC Davis, and protests outside the auditorium he was scheduled to speak in at UC Berkeley turned into a riot after off-campus anti-fascist groups started fires on the campus. Protests at the University of Washington also turned violent, as one of Yiannopoulos’ fans shot one of the protesters.
Actress Leah Remini will be the mid-show interview guest. Maher will discuss this week’s headlines — including the resignation of Trump’s national security adviser Gen. Michael Flynn — with comedian Larry Wilmore, Intercept Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Scahill, and former Republican Congressman Jack Kingston.
“Real Time With Bill Maher” airs Friday at 9 PM on HBO.