{"id":5585,"date":"2026-07-15T11:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=5585"},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:06:34","slug":"bill-maher-on-comedy-atheism-and-dining-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=5585","title":{"rendered":"Bill Maher on comedy, atheism and dining with Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit: <\/span> NPR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this summer. He accepted it on stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., which President Trump attempted to rebrand as the Trump-Kennedy Center before a judge forced his administration to remove his name<\/u> from the building’s facade by June 12.<\/p>\n

Read more CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz faces Senate for confirmation hearing<\/a><\/p>\n

The honor was received by a comedian who has endured on nighttime television for 33 years, most recently on the HBO program <\/p>\n

“Thirty-three years,” Maher said on NPR’s video podcast “You know, if it ended tomorrow, I think we can say it did not come out to be a failure.” He joked that he has lasted so long thanks to “the best pot” and the “best tequila.” <\/p>\n

He later clarified that he limits his drinking and tries to eat well. But the part about pot was true.<\/p>\n

When it comes to his TV hosting work, Maher added that he’s not acting.<\/p>\n

“Ask anybody who knows me. I’m exactly the same person,” he said. <\/p>\n

The Kennedy Center presents the award annually<\/u> to “individuals who have had an impact on American society” \u2014 similar to that of the writer Samuel Clemens, who under the pen name Mark Twain was “a fearless observer of society,” both in his books and onstage. The ceremony will be released as a Netflix special on July 21.<\/p>\n

Maher has sometimes infuriated critics, whose attacks have angered him in turn. He dismayed many on the political left by meeting the president for dinner at the White House early in his second term. In an on-air essay describing the experience, Maher insisted that it was valuable to talk with people across the spectrum. He said he learned that Trump was not a “crazy person,” but only someone who “plays a crazy person on TV.” <\/p>\n

Read more U.S. and Iran standoff over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies<\/a><\/p>\n

In his interview, which was filmed inside a media room that’s part of Maher’s home in Los Angeles, the comedian said Trump was “more self-aware than he lets on in public.” But when asked by NPR’s Steve Inskeep whyif he’s not crazy, Trump would act that way on TV, Maher clarified, “Well, he is a crazy person in the extent that he definitely has a form of Tourette syndrome. He just blurts out whatever is on his mind.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It can be hard to pinpoint Maher’s exact beliefs. Over the years, he has lashed out at the political right, the political left and people of every faith. He is an atheist who was raised Roman Catholic. His abandonment of religion is a clue to his comedic style.<\/p>\n

Asked by Inskeep about whether there is something about his Catholic upbringing that sticks with him now, he said, “Fear. I mean if I walk into a church, I’ll still get clammy from how they [priests and nuns] traumatized me.”<\/p>\n

In the interview, 70-year-old Maher also reflected on writing funny, caring about every word and still learning.<\/p>\n

Read more American AI is expensive. Some startups are turning to cheap Chinese models<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bill Maher says he\u2019s \u201cexactly the same person\u201d he plays on TV. He\u2019s been hosting comedy shows on TV for 33 years and just won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.\u00a0 NPR\u2019s Steve Inskeep sat down with Maher at his Los Angeles home and asked him about his creative process, inviting Louis C.K. to honor him at the Kennedy Center Twain ceremony and what he thinks about President Trump since having dinner with him.<\/p>\n

NPR’s Newsmakers is where you’ll find NPR’s biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they’re available — any day of the week. Follow or subscribe wherever you listen or watch so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. Go to ?plus.npr.org?<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nprs-newsmakers"],"yoast_head":"\nBill Maher on comedy, atheism and dining with Trump - Best USA Movers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestusamoverss.com\/?p=5585\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill Maher on comedy, atheism and dining with Trump - Best USA Movers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bill Maher says he\u2019s \u201cexactly the same person\u201d he plays on TV. He\u2019s been hosting comedy shows on TV for 33 years and just won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.\u00a0 NPR\u2019s Steve Inskeep sat down with Maher at his Los Angeles home and asked him about his creative process, inviting Louis C.K. to honor him at the Kennedy Center Twain ceremony and what he thinks about President Trump since having dinner with him.NPR's Newsmakers is where you'll find NPR's biggest interviews. We post new episodes as soon as they're available -- any day of the week. Follow or subscribe wherever you listen or watch so you always get the latest episode as soon as possible.\u00a0Newsmakers relies on supporters who value independent journalism and a free press. Join NPR+ today to support our work and get perks from the podcasts you trust. 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