Bill Maher Hits Back at Critics of Stan Lee Op-Ed: ‘Talk About Making My Point For Me’ (Video)
“A culture that thinks that comic books and comic book movies are profound meditations on the human condition is a dumb f—ing culture,” Maher tells Larry King
Bill Maher clarified his comments made in a recent op-ed he wrote on his website in the wake of Marvel creator Stan Lee’s death. The “Real Time” host said he wasn’t criticizing Lee personally but rather the culture that celebrates comic books.
Maher defended his piece in the wake of the backlash and said that people getting so angry about it is proof of his point.
“Talk about making my point for me,” Maher said in an interview on “Larry King Now.” “It certainly wasn’t a swipe on Stan Lee.”
Maher said he only recently learned about the backlash to his op-ed and was glad he can generally ignore and avoid every social media firestorm. He also said that he knows little about Lee and never read comic books, not as an adult or as a child, but reiterated that his op-ed was a criticism of the culture at large.
“I’m agnostic on Stan Lee,” Maher said. “What I was saying is a culture that thinks that comic books and comic book movies are profound meditations on the human condition is a dumb f—ing culture. And for people to get mad at that just proves my point.”
Maher’s op-ed, written within days of Lee’s passing, dismissed comic books as kids stuff, saying that Americans decided to never grow up and move on from the comic books that Lee helped popularize.
“America is in mourning. Deep, deep mourning for a man who inspired millions to, I don’t know, watch a movie, I guess,” Maher wrote. “I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to suggest that Donald Trump could only get elected in a country that thinks comic books are important.”
The HBO show host also slammed the newly popularized term “adulting,” saying, “And now when adults are forced to do grown-up things like buy auto insurance, they call it ‘adulting,’ and act like it’s some giant struggle.”
Lee’s team at POW! Entertainment sent an open letter to Maher criticizing his comments.
“Countless people can attest to how Stan inspired them to read, taught them that the world is not made up of absolutes, that heroes can have flaws and even villains can show humanity within their souls,” the letter reads. “These are but a few of the things we the fans of Stan Lee also consider “adulting,” because life both as a child and grown-up can indeed be a struggle.”
Watch the clip of Maher on “Larry King Now” above.
11 Times Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect Comments Sparked Outrage (Photos)
Comedian Bill Maher has made a career of saying things that could come back to haunt him, both on his former ABC show "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and on his current HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Though Maher prides himself on being politically incorrect, there have been plenty of times he's said offensive things that got him into hot water. Here's a look at 11 of them.
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11. Maher interviews alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos After Milo’s speech at Berkeley University was canceled because of protests that included a few small fires and thrown objects, Maher brought the alt-right idol in for an interview. Though Milo’s anti-feminism, anti-transgender and anti-Muslim positions are well known -- as is his role in the harassment-focused online movement known as GamerGate -- Maher offered almost no pushback against Milo. Read more here.
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10. Maher jokes about Tila Tequila being assaulted In 2009, news broke that Tila Tequila claimed she’d been assaulted by then-boyfriend and San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman. Maher responded with a joke many found sexist: “New rule: Stop acting surprised someone choked Tila Tequila! The surprise is that someone hasn’t choked this bitch sooner.”
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9. Maher claims Hillary Clinton cried for political gain During the 2008 presidential campaign, Maher tore into Clinton. In what many read as a sexist remark, Maher said women use crying to win arguments and accused Clinton of crying on the campaign trail for the same reason. Watch the clip here.
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8. Maher says millions of Muslims supported the “Charlie Hebdo” attacks Maher has a long history of being highly critical of religion and, in recent years, of Islam in particular. In the wake of the 2015 “Charlie Hebdo” attack in France, Maher said “hundreds of millions” of Muslims supported the violence, in which 12 people were killed and 11 more were injured. Watch the clip.
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7. He gets into an Islamophobia argument with Ben Affleck On a panel with actor Ben Affleck and author Sam Harris, Maher defended Harris’ assertions about Islam, including when Harris said “Islam at this moment is the mother lode of bad ideas.” The discussion turned into a shouting match, as Affleck quickly challenged the stance and bigotry related to discussions of Islam. Watch the clip here.
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6. Maher compares One Direction’s Zayn Malik to Boston Marathon bomber Singer Zayn Malik quit the band One Direction, prompting a few jokes from Maher during an episode. But people were angered when Maher asked, “Where were you during the Boston Marathon,” placing an image of Malik beside one of bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Many saw the joke as one mocking both Malik’s appearance and his Muslim faith. Watch the clip.
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5. He defends Bill O’Reilly’s joke about Maxine Waters After former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ hair looked like a “James Brown wig,” Maher came to his defense on “Real Time.” Maher’s point: liberals can’t take a joke. Many criticized O’Reilly’s joke to be racist, and he later apologized. Watch the clip here.
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4. Maher says dogs are like children with mental disabilities In the middle of making some point about how he’s not lauded enough for raising dogs, Maher said dogs are “like retarded children.” Guests floundered both to address Maher’s use of the offensive word and the much more offensive comparison of children with disabilities to animals. Watch the clip.
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3. ...And makes fun of Sarah Palin’s son Trig Maher pushed that button again when he referred to Trig as “it” and said he “looks a lot like John Edwards.” Watch the clip here.
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2. Maher says 9/11 terrorists weren’t cowardly Maher's ABC show “Politically Incorrect" was canceled in June 2002 after what he later explained was his attempt to level criticism against the American military. Less than a week after Sept. 11, 2001, Maher said the terrorists who stayed aboard planes were “warriors,” adding that the U.S. had been cowardly for firing cruise missiles at enemies “from 2,000 miles away.” The comment caused a row, as advertisers pulled out of the show. Watch the clip.
The “Real Time” host has said the n-word on TV… and a lot more
Comedian Bill Maher has made a career of saying things that could come back to haunt him, both on his former ABC show "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher" and on his current HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Though Maher prides himself on being politically incorrect, there have been plenty of times he's said offensive things that got him into hot water. Here's a look at 11 of them.
HBO
HBO
