Who says the late-night wars are over?
In a new episode of his Club Random podcast released Monday, Bill Maher discussed his falling out with Jimmy Kimmel, saying he fears the two late-night hosts may never speak again.
During a conversation with guest (and longtime Kimmel pal) Adam Carolla, Maher said that the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host is “very mad” at him and suggested the tension between them remains unresolved. While expressing regret that Kimmel was upset, Maher maintained that he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong, emphasizing that disagreements shouldn’t end a friendship.
The rift appears to stem from comments Maher made last fall about Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, after she publicly described cutting ties with conservative relatives over their support for Donald Trump. Maher criticized what he described as political rigidity on the left, arguing that ideological differences shouldn’t prevent people from maintaining personal relationships.
On the podcast, Maher said he had attempted to smooth things over privately, including offering what he described as a partial apology in an email with Kimmel. He characterized himself as more abrasive than many of his late-night peers and suggested that his willingness to criticize both sides of the political spectrum often puts him at odds with fellow hosts.
Maher also pushed back against what he sees as pressure to fully align with progressive orthodoxy, saying he continues to mock both “left-wing” and “right-wing” extremes. Still, he stressed that he holds Kimmel in high regard and called him “one of the nicest guys,” adding that it bothers him deeply that their relationship may be permanently damaged.
The two comedians had maintained a friendly rapport for years, with both appearing on each other’s shows as recently as 2022.
Maher previously addressed the strained relationship in December during an interview with The Young Turks‘ Ana Kasparian, saying he believed he had handled the issue as gently as possible, while still standing by his views.
Referring to Kimmel’s brief suspension at ABC, Maher added “I love Jimmy. I always have … And we have a connection, like, we were both fired by ABC. And he took my—I had that timeslot. So, like, it’s so interesting, the same ABC—I mean, Disney executive—canned us both. It’s interesting, the connections.”
You’re nothing but a toxic narcissistic bitch who bent the knee to Drumpf and called yourself a hero for doing that! No one of any consequence wants anything to do with you after that! If it weren’t for the Liberally Biased Mainstream Media™ slurping you for being a useful idiot to their cause, you’d have been fired a while ago!
Kimmel grew up! You didn’t, you seventysomething incel!
If Bill Maher valued his friendship with Jimmy Kimmel so much, why did he feel the need to publicly comment about what Molly McNearney did? It’s none of his business how she handles her family. Absolutely none. For Maher to say he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong shows how misguided his thinking really is.
He thinks he’s the smartest person in the room, when, in reality, he doesn’t know what TF he’s talking about, most of the time! And this past decade has shown how much of a horrid person he is!
He’ll never capture what he thinks he deserves!