Bill Maher said he's worried that a falling-out with fellow television host Jimmy Kimmel over political disagreements might have permanently damaged their relationship.
Maher made the remarks during a recent episode of his "Club Random" podcast while speaking with comedian Adam Carolla. Addressing Carolla, a longtime friend and former co-host of "The Man Show" with Kimmel, Maher acknowledged the strain.
"Jimmy Kimmel, you know, he's very mad at me, and I know you're close to him," Maher said.
He asked Carolla to pass along a message of regret, adding, "I hope you tell [Kimmel] that I'm sorry that it got bent out of shape. ... I don't think I did anything wrong.
"We can have disagreements. I mean, you and I don't agree on everything, look at this clash now, and yet we're cool."
Maher described Kimmel as "one of the nicest guys" before speaking more broadly about political differences.
"I don't just buy into the left-wing bulls*** and I never stop making fun of the right-wing bulls*** at all," Maher said. "And like, if that's not good enough for you, then I think you're the a**hole, and I don't think Jimmy is an a**hole.
"I think he's a great guy, and it bugs me that, because of what the latest thing was, we may never talk again."
Carolla suggested a reconciliation, telling Maher, "You guys should be thick as thieves and on the same page," while Maher stopped short of explaining what Kimmel was upset about.
The comments followed a dispute that emerged months earlier after Maher criticized statements made by Kimmel's wife, writer Molly McNearney.
In a November episode of the "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast, McNearney discussed distancing herself from relatives who support President Donald Trump.
"It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man," she said during a joint appearance with Kimmel.
"To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family," she added. "And I, unfortunately, have kind of lost relationships with people in my family because of it."
Maher later addressed McNearney's comments on his show and criticized them.
"She says she's lost relationships with relatives because she wrote them an email before the election with 10 reasons why they shouldn't vote for Trump, and some still didn't obey, so you know. Ultimatums. Ten reasons? I can think of 100," he said. "But I would never present it to someone as an ultimatum.
"Ultimatums don't make people rethink their politics. They make them rethink you."
Maher said in a December "Club Random" episode that Kimmel was angry over the comments and that he was unsure about the future of their friendship.
"I was as kid-gloved as I could," Maher said. "And I see they're mad at me.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I mean, I was being, again, as respectful as I could, but I don't agree with that point of view.
"And since she went public with it, it wasn't out of school for me to go public with it.
"I love Jimmy. I always have. I don't know him that well, but he's a great guy … I hope we're friends forever, but I don't know.
"You know, the liberals and the woke, that's a schism. It just is."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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