One of Bill Maher’s favorite guests pulled out of a planned appearance on Maher’s HBO show last week when Steve Bannon entered the picture.
On a new episode of his Raging Moderates podcast, Scott Galloway reveals he was originally part of the guest lineup for Real Time with Bill Maher’s April 11th episode, but backed out when learning of Bannon’s involvement.
“I don’t like to talk about these things kind of out of school,” Galloway noted before recounting his change of plans. When a Real Time producer informed him that Bannon would be the show’s lead guest, Galloway grew hesitant of going through with his own appearance on the panel.
“I just couldn’t reconcile with—How do I in any way normalize, associate, and in a small way, legitimize a guy who’s given Nazi salutes? I just can’t do it,” Galloway recalls thinking. “So I backed out, and I was totally f*cking heartbroken because I would love to have talked about the tariffs.”
“I feel as if I would have to confront him, and I don’t know how to do it,” he says he told Maher’s team. “I don’t have the skills to do it elegantly without grandstanding or ruining the flow of the show.” Galloway has been critical of media outlets platforming Bannon in the past.
Maher’s team was apparently understanding, as they have already rebooked Galloway for a future episode (though “not for a while,” Galloway notes).
Likewise, despite booking Bannon on Real Time—the third time he has done so—Maher remains in Galloway’s good graces. “I love Bill Maher,” Galloway clarified on Raging Moderates. “I think he gets a lot of sh*t, but he’s actually a hero of mine. I think the guy is fearless and… zero f*cks given, just says what he thinks.”
“I absolutely love going on that show,” he added. “I love the executive producers. They’re these, these like really smart, intelligent and attractive people.”
Galloway has guested on Real Time five times, most recently in April 2024 on a panel with Don Lemon. (That episode also featured Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a separate interview.)
Maher’s guest panel for last Friday’s episode wound up featuring Bannon, Piers Morgan, and Josh Rogin. The episode also featured Maher’s recap of his White House dinner with frequent foe Donald Trump.
Bill Maher was not very nice to Josh Rogin. I did not enjoy that exchange. Mr. Rogin was a guest and should have been treated more respectfully by the host.
Can’t fathom why anyone with liberal bona fides would entertain going on Maher anymore. He’s a new MAGA icon.
An icon, huh? I trust Scott Galloway’s read on Bill Maher more than some dude’s in a comment section.
That’s because you’re an idiot commenter, yourself!
I don’t think we’re quite there yet.
while I agree that people with different points of view, make for meaningful debates & conversations, I don’t think giving an election denier , far right closet nazi, a platform to spew conspiracy theories is a good idea. I cant even pretend to be interested in anything Bannon has to say. in my opinion, it normalized far right ideology.
Agreed. Feel the same about Maher’s dinner at the White House. The WH already has plenty of platform and a big bullhorn, but Maher’s visit just seems to lend credibility to what can only be described as a dumpster fire of an administration.
Good for Scott Galloway to do that! Just wished he’d have told Bunghole Bill Maher to go jump in a volcano.
It was the right move by Galloway. That episode was a complete waste of time. Between Bill’s WH anecdotes, babbling Bannon and Piers Morgan, I found nothing worth watching.
Whiner
Yes indeed, that’s what you are, you whiner!
big mistake going to see the orange asshole. what did he expect from him? of course he was normal to a waiting noob that was there to see the crazy that never happened.
sorry bill, big boo boo doing that. and then have Bannon on to promote more BS? think I’m done watching your shit show. later
Bill has gone off message. I somehow thought he was a neutral libertarian intellectual. Instead he is just an aging white dude/bro like the rest – wanting America to be white again and male dominated again WAMDA MAGA. So much so, that he is willing to ignore ethics and principles to cozy up to DJT and Bannon like a true sympathizer.