When it comes to polarizing guests, Real Time With Bill Maher is set to hit the jackpot this week.
Late Wednesday, HBO announced that independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr will be Maher’s lead guest Friday, alongside former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
Kennedy has long been seen as a potential spoiler in the November election. Recent polls have him capturing anywhere from 2-16% of the electorate, although whether he draws more support away from Trump or Biden is matter of some debate.
An ex-democrat whose father was slain while running for president himself in 1968, Kennedy is arguably best known for his controversial embrace of a number of conspiracy theories.
Several of Kennedy’s own siblings have publicly denounced his run for the presidency, saying last fall “Bobby might share the same name as our father, but he does not share the same vision, values or judgment.”
Don Lemon was a 17 year veteran of CNN who rose to prominence as the host of Don Lemon Tonight, where his outspoken criticism of Donald Trump made him a frequent target of the former president and his allies.
After several on air controversies and an explosive report that alleged he had a history of misogyny, Lemon was fired from CNN in April of 2023.
He went on to launch his own web show earlier this year, originally with the backing of Elon Musk and Twitter, but Musk severed ties after objecting to Lemon’s questioning of him in an interview for the show’s first episode.
In an interesting wrinkle, if Lemon discusses his ouster from CNN as part of his visit with Maher Friday night, their discussion will air on CNN itself the next day since the cable network recently began airing Real Time on a one-day delay.
Although this will be Lemon’s first visit with Maher, Kennedy sat down with the Real Time host on his “Club Random” podcast last summer when he was challenging Joe Biden for the democratic nomination.
Also guesting with Maher Friday night is returning guest Scott Galloway. A professor of marketing at NYU, Galloway is also a bestselling author, podcaster, and serial entrepreneur.
Real Time With Bill Maher airs live Friday nights at 10pm on HBO and is rebroadcast on CNN Saturday nights at 8pm ET/5pm PT
