Bill Maher no longer set to return to talk show
American comedian and talk show host Bill Maher has decided to postpone his proposed return to the weekly HBO programme Real Time due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are set to restart negotiations later this week, prompting Maher to hold off his return “for now”.
“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening, and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher said. “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table, I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”
Last week, Maher controversially announced that, despite the strikes, Real Time would return on September 22nd. “It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work,” Maher stated. “The writers have important issues that I sympathise with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns”.
“Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily,” he added. “We all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening. I love my writers; I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.”
Continuing, the host said he would “honour the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial” and instead focus on the panel discussion side of the show.
Elsewhere, Drew Barrymore has also reversed her decision to resume her daytime talk show.
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