HBO’s Real Time returned on Friday (January 23), and host Bill Maher spent the first episode of the new season examining fallout about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maher said he is “tired of hearing” people say “we didn’t know” about actions taken during the pandemic. “I get it that we didn’t know exactly what was happening at the beginning of COVID, and some mistakes were inevitable,” he said, per Fox News Digital. “But some people guessed better than others. And the people who got it wrong don’t seem to want to acknowledge that now.”
He went on to argue against the lockdowns, including school closures. “Some people said closing schools for so long was pointless and would cause much worse collateral damage to kids, and they were right,” the late-night host stated.
The comedian also brought up a COVID conspiracy theory, referring to a 2021 Daily Beast article, headlined, “Bill Maher Pushes Steve Bannon Wuhan Lab COVID Conspiracy.”
“Of course, it wasn’t a conspiracy theory, and it wasn’t owned by Steve Bannon,” Maher continued. “And now everyone, including the Biden administration, admits there’s at least a 50-50 chance that the virus could have begun in the lab in Wuhan that was doing gain-of-function research on that virus. Duh. But I don’t see a lot of retractions being printed.”
According to a 2023 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), all intelligence agencies that assessed both the possibility that the virus originated naturally or in a lab could not reach a firm, united conclusion. However, there is no hard evidence supporting laboratory involvement and no indication that the virus existed in any lab before the pandemic.
Maher then listed the “stupid things” people did during the pandemic, saying, “Ubers looked like those Orthodox Jews who wrap themselves in Saran Wrap in case their plane flies over a grave. We washed the mail. We played baseball in front of cardboard cutouts. And ate in parking lots or with inflatable dolls? They closed the ocean. We banged pots and pans to show our love for nurses and our hatred for people trying to get a baby to sleep.”
He also mocked the idea of lockdowns and mask-wearing, quipping, “Because the last thing you would want to do when a disease is afoot is get fresh air and sunshine and vitamin D. No, much better to stay locked up, stressed out and day drinking.”
Finally, he turned his attention to the vaccines, criticizing the unwillingness of some to acknowledge natural immunity as an effective form of protection. “If you do get COVID, remember, natural immunity is always the worst kind. So, even if you’ve had the disease, you need a shot,” he said.
As of January 24, 2026, the number of reported COVID-related deaths around the world had reached 7,107,739.
Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays at 10/9c, HBO
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