On the latest episode of “Real Time,” Bill Maher spent some time defending Olympic gymnastics superstar Simone Biles and her decision to withdraw from several Olympic events to protect her mental health.
Specifically, Maher said “the award for lowest, vilest was the conservatives who went after Simone Biles.”
Maher read comments from several right wing critics of Biles, including Charlie Kirk, the Texas deputy Attorney General, “some a–hole I never heard of, who gets quoted by people I have heard of,” Piers Morgan, and a former “Real Time” guest. All of whom either disparaged Biles’ character or called her loyalty to America into question, prompting Maher to collectively refer to them as “the a–hole division.”
“We ran this poor girl, this amazing machine, until she, not permanently, but temporarily was just broken. Can you imagine the anxiety? These armchair quarterbacks sitting there with f—ing crumbs on their shirt, looking at someone who twists and flies in the air and lands on a little strip. Where’s your mental toughness?”
To that, Maher’s round table guest, Democratic representative Rep. Stacey Plaskett (Virgin Islands) said: “My response to that, they can kiss my overworked Black woman ass.”
“I saw an article today from Glamour magazine which really was fascinating to me, talking about what this young woman had been through,” Plaskett continued, referring to this article. “Overcoming the sexual scandal that occurred in gymnastics. Having the kind of pressure on her. Being the best gymnast that has ever been in this field. And she needs the opportunity if she wants to rest.”
The article, Plunkett continued, was “discussing the fact that historically, culturally, black women have never had the opportunity to rest, to say ‘I’ve had enough, I’m tired.’ We helped build this country.”
Maher contended that “I don’t think she wants to rest. We pushed her to the ultimate limit. She sucked it up as long as she could. Can you imagine the anxiety? I mean, how do you even sleep? I know now that when you don’t sleep fully, and I mean fully, you’re at way less capacity.”
Maher’s other panel guest, Joshua Green, added that the whole conservative freakout was predictable. “It’s part of that ecosystem of right wing bating that sparks an angry counter-reaction among liberals,” he said, advancing a theory of politics that was ably described by Amanda Marcotte in her book “Troll Nation.” “Everybody starts screaming and fighting, and trying to cancel each other, and what they’ve done is politicize something that isn’t remotely political.”
Watch the whole clip above.
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