Bill Maher claps back at CNN’s Chris Wallace for bringing up 9/11 comments: ‘This is so old’
Bill Maher was outraged when he spoke out against CNN’s Chris Wallace after Disney-owned ABC canceled the comedian’s show over controversial comments he made about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks more than two decades ago.
“First of all, this is so old,” Maher told Wallace, adding, “Really? Is it still interesting?”
Maher, who is also the host of HBO’s “Real Time,” appeared over the weekend on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” an interview show with Wallace that airs on sister network CNN and streaming service Max, both of which are subsidiaries of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bill Maher (above) appeared on Chris Wallace’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” over the weekend. MaxWallace (above) broached the sensitive topic of Disney-owned ABC canceling his show in 2001. Max
In the interview, Wallace was referring to the firing of Maher as host of “Politically Incorrect,” a late-night political talk show on ABC that has a similar format to “Real Time.”
At the beginning of the video, Wallace said Maher had compared U.S. troops to al-Qaida hijackers, a charge Maher denied.
Wallace then played a clip of Maher’s appearance on a September 17, 2001, broadcast in which panelist Dinesh D’Souza said of the hijackers, “They are warriors. We have to recognize that the principles of how we live our lives are at odds with the rest of the world.”
“So, I mean, I’m all for understanding the sociological causes of this, but we shouldn’t blame the victims,” de Souza continued in the episode, recorded just six days after the terrorist attacks left some 3,000 people dead.
Wallace played a clip of Maher hosting “Politically Incorrect” on ABC on September 17, 2001. Max
“Americans shouldn’t blame themselves because other countries are trying to bomb us.”
Maher agreed with de Souza, adding: “We’re cowards. We’ve fired cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. It’s cowardly.”
“You can say whatever you want to if you stay in the plane when it hits a building. [it’s] “We’re not timid,” Maher said.
The comments sparked outrage: advertisers withdrew their support for the show, and some ABC affiliates across the country stopped airing the show.
A few months later, ABC canceled the show after eight years on the air.
Maher controversially stated that the 9/11 hijackers were not “cowards.” A.B.C.
After Wallace played the footage, Marr appeared somewhat defensive, telling the presenter: “It’s not about the military. [It was about] [w]As a society.”
“Well, I know, but when it came to missiles, it wasn’t the grocers lobbying,” Wallace replied, as the interview grew increasingly tense.
“Yeah, the military isn’t paying for it either. Well, yeah, first of all, this is very old. Really? Are you still interested?” Maher wondered.
“We’re talking about your career,” Wallace replied, before questioning whether Maher was “just trying to be contrarian.”
After Wallace brought up the episode, Maher was visibly upset with him. Max
“Of course not,” Maher said. “I just agreed with someone who said that.”
He told Wallace: “You skipped that part.”
Maher stressed that it was “not cowardly” to “go on a suicide mission.”
On September 11, 2001, a suicide bomber crashed a plane into the World Trade Center, killing approximately 3,000 people. AP
When Wallace asked Maher if he regretted what he said, Maher replied: “I regret saying that that night.”
“I told the truth as I saw it,” Maher said.
“We’ve never lost ratings. We’ve never lost viewers. We’ve lost sponsors,” he said.
Maher lamented that despite being “cancelled” by ABC, he was “glad it got cancelled because it got us to a much better place in the end.”
“Real Time with Bill Maher” is currently in the middle of its 22nd season on HBO. The cable network has renewed the show for two more seasons, committing it to airing through 2026.
Bill Maher claps back at CNN’s Chris Wallace for bringing up 9/11 comments: ‘This is so old’
Bill Maher was outraged when he spoke out against CNN’s Chris Wallace after Disney-owned ABC canceled the comedian’s show over controversial comments he made about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks more than two decades ago.
“First of all, this is so old,” Maher told Wallace, adding, “Really? Is it still interesting?”
Maher, who is also the host of HBO’s “Real Time,” appeared over the weekend on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” an interview show with Wallace that airs on sister network CNN and streaming service Max, both of which are subsidiaries of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The interview was reported According to news site Mediaite.
In the interview, Wallace was referring to the firing of Maher as host of “Politically Incorrect,” a late-night political talk show on ABC that has a similar format to “Real Time.”
At the beginning of the video, Wallace said Maher had compared U.S. troops to al-Qaida hijackers, a charge Maher denied.
Wallace then played a clip of Maher’s appearance on a September 17, 2001, broadcast in which panelist Dinesh D’Souza said of the hijackers, “They are warriors. We have to recognize that the principles of how we live our lives are at odds with the rest of the world.”
“So, I mean, I’m all for understanding the sociological causes of this, but we shouldn’t blame the victims,” de Souza continued in the episode, recorded just six days after the terrorist attacks left some 3,000 people dead.
“Americans shouldn’t blame themselves because other countries are trying to bomb us.”
Maher agreed with de Souza, adding: “We’re cowards. We’ve fired cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. It’s cowardly.”
“You can say whatever you want to if you stay in the plane when it hits a building. [it’s] “We’re not timid,” Maher said.
The comments sparked outrage: advertisers withdrew their support for the show, and some ABC affiliates across the country stopped airing the show.
A few months later, ABC canceled the show after eight years on the air.
After Wallace played the footage, Marr appeared somewhat defensive, telling the presenter: “It’s not about the military. [It was about] [w]As a society.”
“Well, I know, but when it came to missiles, it wasn’t the grocers lobbying,” Wallace replied, as the interview grew increasingly tense.
“Yeah, the military isn’t paying for it either. Well, yeah, first of all, this is very old. Really? Are you still interested?” Maher wondered.
“We’re talking about your career,” Wallace replied, before questioning whether Maher was “just trying to be contrarian.”
“Of course not,” Maher said. “I just agreed with someone who said that.”
He told Wallace: “You skipped that part.”
Maher stressed that it was “not cowardly” to “go on a suicide mission.”
When Wallace asked Maher if he regretted what he said, Maher replied: “I regret saying that that night.”
“I told the truth as I saw it,” Maher said.
“We’ve never lost ratings. We’ve never lost viewers. We’ve lost sponsors,” he said.
Maher lamented that despite being “cancelled” by ABC, he was “glad it got cancelled because it got us to a much better place in the end.”
“Real Time with Bill Maher” is currently in the middle of its 22nd season on HBO. The cable network has renewed the show for two more seasons, committing it to airing through 2026.
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