Bill Maher Goes Full Sexist, Defends Chris Matthews and Mocks His Sexual Harassment Accuser

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-maher-defends-chris-matthews-and-mocks-his-sexual-harassment-accuser-thank-you-rosa-parks

It was a truly ugly, outrageously sexist display from the “Real Time” host.

Marlow Stern
Senior Entertainment Editor

Updated Mar. 07, 2020 4:09AM ET / Published Mar. 06, 2020 11:46PM ET

After an extended (and terribly lame) opening monologue bit on the coronavirus and the bang-up job that “Donald Trump, M.D., Trump University School of Medicine” is doing to handle its spread, Bill Maher addressed the firing of his “friend” this week: Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball.

The Real Time host said that he “will miss him, and a lot of other people will too,” before taking aim at MSNBC for urging his resignation.

“MSNBC used to run this thing: this is who we are. Well, I didn’t like who you were this week, and I don’t think a lot of people who work there liked this ether, and I think this ‘cancel culture’ is a cancer on progressivism,” Maher ranted. “Liberals always have to fight a two-front war. Republicans only have to fight the Democrats; Democrats have to fight the Republicans, and each other.”

Maher claimed that all Chris Matthews did was make a poor “analogy” when he compared Bernie Sanders, a Jew, to the Nazis (“I hope the victims got some closure,” the comic sarcastically cracked); that Matthews was basically branded a “Klansman” for mixing up Jaime Harrison and Tim Scott, two African-American politicians; and that people overreacted to Matthews being “mean” to Elizabeth Warren when he pressed her on why people should believe Mike Bloomberg’s female accusers over the billionaire himself.

And then things got really ugly, as the HBO host targeted Laura Bassett, who accused Matthews of sexually harassing her when she was a guest on his program.

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Yeah, not cool...

[evertonfc]

1. I agree and so do my younger

Progressive friends about the "cancel culture " argument. Progressives are far less forgiving and will throw our own under the bus for a transgression or statement decades earlier Now, this isn't intended to defend Matthew's but we do eat our own quite easily and its getting worse. Progressives can be relentless unforgiving.

[MrsCheaplaugh]

3. No.

It's called having standards. And if Matthews had said something equally racist to an African American guest, would we object when the network fired him?

[HarlanPepper]

5. +10000

Mahers point about liberals fighting a two front war is spot on even if some here can’t accept it.

[JHB]

8. The people who decided he had to go are neither progressive nor young

That would be Phil Griffin and other execs at MSNBC.

After Matt Lauer and Mark Halperin and Harold Ford Jr. -- not to mention their own role in trying to squelch reporting about Harvey Weinstein -- they asked themselves what other bombs are going to drop and how much it was likely to cost the network.

And was keeping Chris on worth that? With his retirement within sight, signs of health issues, and him being very unlikely to gain substantially more viewers than he already has? Probably not.

The "cancel culture" at work here was the kind at TV networks have engaged in since they were radio networks. A business decision.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. What did Chris say that was racist?

Not being sarcastic, what was racist? He made a WWII analogy? That was fireable?

Saying to a girl at work 4 years ago, “why haven’t I fallen in love with you yet.” That’s stupid and creepy. Worthy of getting fired though?

[HarlanPepper]

6. It shouldn't have been

I think he got fired for a combination of things, not just one. But he was clearly making an analogy to how fast Sanders campaign was winning the “war.”

[hunter]

7. Old farts yelling at the old farts yelling at old farts on their televisions...

... how deep does it go?

Break the cycle.