Bill Maher

Actor, author, and standup comedian Bill Maher is no stranger to controversy. He started his career on the standup comedy circuit and taking small roles in various comedy movies in the '80s and '90s. Luck later turned his way with the wildly successful television show Politically Incorrect, which featured a wide array of newsmakers and entertainers commenting current political issues. However, after September 11, 2001, he made remarks about the terrorist attacks that were considered offensive and abrasive by some, resulting in ambiguous threats from then White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. Pressure from public interest groups on sponsors led to the eventual cancellation of Politically Incorrect, but Maher found a new home on HBO with the 2003 debut of Real Time with Bill Maher. Decidedly more somber than Politically Incorrect, Real Time features prominent politicians put in the hot seat in a no-holds-barred atmosphere complete with Maher's dry sense of humor. An audio book version of New Rules, a popular feature of Maher's program, was released in 2006 to coincide with a novella of the same name. During the off season of Real Time, he continues to tour as a standup comic to sold-out audiences across the U.S.