Bill Maher is getting a lot of heat for using a racial slur on his show Friday night, but this is hardly the first time Maher has made controversial comments.
The television host typically defends his racist, sexist, transphobic and Islamophobic remarks as a part of his anti-politically correct rhetoric. “Real Time With Bill Maher” has long been a place where the host could make comments that degrade almost every minority group.
Maher once compared prominent Muslim singer Zayn Malik to the Boston Marathon bomber and claimed that millions of Muslims supported the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
He normalized former Brietbart editor Milo Yiannopoulus, who is known for his hateful ideas about the transgender community. Maher even invited Yiannopoulus on his show, defending his claims that controversial bathroom laws were protecting women and children.
After former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly compared Rep. Maxine Waters’ hair to a James Brown wig, Maher wondered why women of color were offended.
“Why is that racist? Because she’s compared to black people?” Maher said on his show.
He also once accused Hillary Clinton of crying in 2008 as a campaign strategy. And during the 2014 Gaza War, Maher compared the designated terrorist group Hamas to a “crazy woman.”
Maher has gotten away with these types of comments for years as the leading voice on television against Republicans and now President Donald Trump. His show is constantly taking on Trump’s comments and actions without filter.
But people were quick to point out that his use of a racial slur is far from shocking. Maher’s history has raised concerns over his position as a “voice for liberals.”