According to Deadline, Bill Maher (Politically Incorrect, Bill Maher: #Adulting) has decided to postpone the return of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher until after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have concluded. The show was previously set to return on September 22 to HBO.
This is one of numerous talkshows recently to delay their previously scheduled return, such as CBS’s The Talk, Jennifer Hudson’s (Cats, Sing 2) The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Drew Barrymore’s (Scream, Santa Clarita Diet) The Drew Barrymore Show.
Deadline reported that the WGA would be picketing Maher’s show and found the decision to return “disappointing”.
“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” said Maher in a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He continued, “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”
The post is attached below.
“Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns,” Maher said in the statement, which can be seen below.
Real Time with Bill Maher is directed by Paul Casey (Judge for Yourself, Dance on Sunset) and produced by Matt Wood (Real Time with Bill Maher: Anniversary Special, Real Time with Bill Maher). It is executive produced by Marc Gurvitz (The Cable Guy, I’m Swiss), Billy Martin (Politically Incorrect, Real Time with Bill Maher), Sheila Griffiths (Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home, Politically Incorrect), Dean Johnsen (Courage Under Fire, Up All Night), and Maher.