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Controversy Surrounds
Bill Maher
Thursday
October 4, 2001
On his show, Bill Maher said, “We have been the cowards, lobbying missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly.”
That remark, questioning the bravery of past U.S. military actions, made Bill Maher, if not the most controversial talk show host in America, definitely the most talked about.
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Maher apologized on "The Tonight Show" and everywhere else he's had a chance to recently, but his backpedaling hasn't been enough. Maher's ironically titled show "Politically Incorrect" has been yanked off the air at 17 ABC stations across the country.
Big name sponsors, like Sears and Federal Express, have pulled their ads. There have even been reports that Disney is considering canceling the show, despite an actual increase in ratings.
Annabel Vered of TV Guide says, “Basically the ratings have gone up since this controversy. People are tuning in because they want to see what all the fuss is about.”
Frequent guests of Maher's, including fellow lightning rods of controversy Jesse Jackson and attorney Gloria Allred, are defending Maher's right to put his foot in his mouth.
Of course Maher isn't alone. “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney, already taking heat for questioning President Bush's choice of words, is now under fire for criticizing the teachings of the Koran on Don Imus' talk show.
Vered says the Rooney and Maher controversies aren't as much issues over free speech, but saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. She believes hosts like Bill Maher should learn to be a little more PC, as in "patriotically correct."
She says, “Right now, people are feeling very patriotic and they don't want anybody to be ridiculing the U.S. military or even making fun of any politicians. We don't want anybody tearing these people down right now.”
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