In an announcement on Wednesday to his social media feeds, Bill Maher announced the return of his weekly talk show, Real Time With Bill Maher. The announcement comes in the midst of an ongoing writers’ strike as they fight for fair wages, job security, and artificial intelligence regulation. 

Maher Isn’t The Only One

Maher’s announcement, while disappointing, is not the first of its kind. The View and Live With Kelly and Mark have been taping through the writers’ strike to little to no attention. In a lengthy and emotional Instagram post earlier this week, Drew Barrymore apologized for resuming her show amid the strike but is still planning on keeping it on air. Barrymore says that she is doing it because “other people’s jobs are on the line.” The Jennifer Hudson Show and The Talk are also returning to air, along with Real Time. 

Maher’s Decision

In Maher’s social media post on Wednesday, he wrote that it was “time to bring people back to work.” Maher plans to bring back the show but without any of the segments on his show that he says are written, including his monologue, desk piece, editorial, or new rules. Maher wrote the show could not afford to lose an entire year and that while he has been helping the rest of the staff, they are struggling as they are not able to work. Interestingly, at the end of his announcement, he admitted that his show will not be as good as it usually is with the writers, but that “it will not disappoint.” You can find Maher’s entire statement in full on X under his handle @billmaher.