Bill Maher Says WGA Has 'No Leverage' Against Streamers, Went on Strike at the 'Wrong Time'

[FakeNoose]

Variety link: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/bill-maher-slams-wga-strike-kooky-demands-no-leverage-streamers-1235713795/

Bill Maher criticized the WGA strike during a discussion with comedian Jim Gaffigan on the “Club Random” podcast. Maher, whose HBO talk show “Real Time” ended its most recent season in April just ahead of the WGA strike, shared his thoughts after Gaffigan noted the strike might kill late-night television for good.

“They’re asking for a lot of things that are, like, kooky,” Maher said about the WGA. “What I find objectionable about the philosophy of the strike [is] it seems to be, they have really morphed a long way from 2007’s strike, where they kind of believe that you’re owed a living as a writer, and you’re not. This is show business. This is the make-or-miss league.”

The WGA strike started in May and hit the 100-day mark last month. Maher said he agreed with the guild regarding streaming platforms having to report viewership data.

“I feel for my writers. I love my writers. I’m one of my writers. But there’s a big other side to it,” Maher also said. “And a lot of people are being hurt besides them — a lot of people who don’t make as much money as them in this bipartisan world we have where you’re just in one camp or the other, there’s no in between. You’re either for the strike like they’re fucking Che Guevara out there, you know, like, this is Cesar Chavez’s lettuce picking strike — or you’re with Trump. There’s no difference — there’s only two camps. And it’s much more complicated than that.”

- more at link -

Of all the late-night talk show hosts, Bill Maher is my least favorite. The guy pretends to be sympathetic and somewhat liberal, and then he unloads all his libertarian shit. Give me a break!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Fuck Bill Maher

[Recycle_Guru]

2. let me add...

[zuul]

3. I'm sure Maher has a better legal understanding of this than

say, the attorneys for WGA? Yeah, that tracks.

Arrogant libertarian fuckstick.

[Silent Type]

4. Hope it works out for WGA, but can't get excited about a small Union of well paid writers.

I realize they are worried about future, like most of us.

Also bet Maher’s writers get paid extremely well.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. It's not a small union, and the vast majority of them are not "well paid."

[whathehell]

20. Thank you.. n/t

[Silent Type]

27. 20,000 ain't large and median earnings well over $100k ain't starvation.

[LiberalFighter]

22. He doesn't have good material.

[Pluvious]

31. Good point ST...

Did you happen to see Hulu’s “reboot?”

Pretty funny, but I’m also a fan of Crazy-ex girlfriend and wanted to see her succeed

It was a show about writers in HW, kinda went all over the map lol

The single-camera comedy chronicled how a 2000s family comedy is being rebooted at Hulu with the original cast returning to reprise their roles. The series starred Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville. Judy Greer, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, Krista Marie Yu and Paul Reiser.

[Rebl2]

5. Cannot stand him

[Carlitos Brigante]

6. Hilarious..........

-ly out of touch.

[SunImp]

9. +1

[Auggie]

7. Maher is right. It's a similar situation in advertising.

It's a make-or-miss league too. And anybody in advertising who says it isn't is lying.

Maher is not the villain for speaking his mind. I agree with him.

[Silent Type]

11. Agree. These are mostly well paid people, in an exciting industry.

I can’t get all emotional over their plight. Now to extent some are making less than say $25/hour, I’m on their side.

I’m betting by time it’s over with, there will be fewer late night shows, fewer TV shows written in America, etc.

[Voltaire2]

24. Average salary: $53,148

Do you think that is 'well paid'?

[Silent Type]

26. Got a citation. Everything I've seen is two, three, four times that. Glassdoor ain't reliable.

https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/writer-pay-up-or-down-1235559599/

[budkin]

8. So tired of this stupid, bitter MFer

ENOUGH.

[Paladin]

14. +1000.

Walked away from viewing his show years ago. Haven't regretted it for a second.

[JHB]

10. "You're (not) owed a living as a writer... This is show business. This is the make-or-miss league."

Hey, Bill, remember that next time you're going to whine about "woke audiences" and blame the audience when your joke falls flat.

Nobody owes you a laugh.

[whathehell]

16. You're not owed a writer

for chump change, relatively speaking, either.

The point is, their employers are making multiple millions, while they, with the COL in New York and LA especially, are barely getting by. I don't have to get "emotional" about a group of striking employees to see their point, or stand with them in principal.

[Johonny]

28. Without his writers he'd be Dennis Miller

Literally Dennis Miller on SNL when he had great writers versus the rest of his entire career pretty much sums up how important writers are.

[JohnSJ]

12. Maybe it might kill his show, which I stopped watching after he pushed his goat milk cures HIV

doctor from Mexico, his anti-vax, Cancel Culture bullshit.

From Maher's perspective, anyone who disagrees with him is exhibiting "cancel culture"

[Xavier Breath]

15. He used to be appointment television for me every Friday night at 10.

I even learned to overlook some of his skewed takes on certain subjects (Cops, Palestinians, etc.) because he often had interesting guests and provocative topics, and the good always outweighed the bad. But, his rants against Covid restrictions revealed him to be the petty, petulant, selfish and immature person he always was, but which I had ignored. Or, maybe his schtick just got old.

[JohnSJ]

18. Ya nailed it

[FakeNoose]

30. I agree - he used to have great guests

Probably his WGA union writers were responsible for the lively discussions and guests he used to have. But every time he got started on his libertarian bullshit, I was closer to turning him off completely.

Finally when Chump was elected I decided I'd had enough of Bill Maher.
Haven't watched his show since ... I dunno ... 2016?

[whathehell]

17. Now there's a thought..

I wouldn't be too upset by that.

[yaesu]

13. Tipical elitist crap. nt

[Liberal In Texas]

21. I don't like Bill Maher.

He is full of shit.

He just said on Ari Melber's show that the (story) around Hunter Biden stinks, "...if Don Jr. had done that..." Huh? He took payoffs from the Saudi's, Bill. Where the F have you been?
And Jr. is always high as a kite.

[senseandsensibility]

23. There was a thread praising him on DU recently

I don't watch him enough to have a strong opinion, but this anti-labor take of his is enough to make me dislike him and not trust what he says on other topics. Being anti-labor is just not acceptable.

[Voltaire2]

25. Bill Maher earns a salary of $10 million per year from HBO. NT.

[Duncan Grant]

29. Good God, he's turning into Bob Hope.

At what point will he start singing, “Thanks for the Memories”? Everything about him is so predictable.

If one looks at his remarks in the op, he’s not making a substantive, consistent argument. What does trump have to do with it? Who’s really benefiting from the status quo? What’s changed from 2007?

Quips. Contentious quips. That’s Maher’s brand. He’s as relevant as yesterday’s newspaper.