Late-night TV is as ideologically rigid as “The View.”
Colbert. Meyers. Kimmel. Fallon. Oliver. Stewart and friends. They all lean relentlessly to the Left. There’s less than zero diversity of thought.
Stephen Colbert on the Trump Truth Social post that included a newspaper sub-headline referring to ‘the creation of a unified Reich’:
“Evidently MAGA now stands for Make America Germany Around 1938.” pic.twitter.com/6Tt8XwPPQY
— Bob Geiger (@GeigerNews) May 22, 2024
HBO’s Bill Maher is a quasi-exception. He’ll mock his fellow liberals on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” but he consistently calls the “far-Right” the true threat to America.
It’s one reason Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” started strong and hasn’t let up in the ratings wars. He’s rebellious, right-of-center and willing to poke Democrats in his monologues.
Diversity!
This week, host Greg Gutfeld proved the power of a broad range of views.
He invited Maher onto his show to promote the comedy veteran’s new book, “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.”
The result?
The show snagged its highest ratings in its three-year history. (“Gutfeld!” previously aired at 11 pm EST but shifted to the 10 p.m. hour last year)
Greg Gutfeld vs Bill Maher on Trump
Maher: “Can you really picture this guy [Trump] going, you know what, I lost. That’s it.”
Gutfeld: “He did!”https://t.co/u0wZKW2ljL
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) May 21, 2024
The episode featuring Maher alongside Dr. Drew Pinsky, Kat Timpf and Dana Perino drew an average of 2.9 million viewers. That, plus 342,000 in the 25-54 age bracket, both bested the late-night competition.
The episode featured some strong clashes between Maher and the rest of the panel. It wasn’t a wildly imbalanced affair.
Dr. Pinsky leans to the Left, but has drifted to the center on recent issues like the pandemic and media bias. Timpf is a self-described libertarian, while Perino and Gutfeld hold more center-right views.
The exchanges proved feisty but fun, with Maher proving a good sport and the others enjoying the clash of visions.
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Maher’s “Gutfeld!” appearance marked his first time on the show. It’s no accident.
While many (most?) liberals wouldn’t set foot on the show’s stage, Maher has repeatedly reached across the aisle on both “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “Club Random.”
Earlier in the week, he squared off against the hosts on “The View,” taking rhetorical fire from the Left. The same day he appeared with Megyn Kelly, and he struggled to keep up with her command of the facts.
Bill Maher: “HILLARY NEVER SAID TRUMP WAS AN ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENT”
Megyn Kelly *plays a clip of Hillary saying that exact quote*
Bill Maher: “….ok.…” pic.twitter.com/W1bRyUUiTX
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 22, 2024
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