Bill Maher Believes He's Too Real For The Emmys: 'I Don’t Perform For Just One Half Of The Country'

According to Bill Maher, his lack of Emmy awards is because he’s too honest, and the people just can’t handle it. During a recent conversation with Chris Cuomo, Cuomo asked Maher why he’s not as decorated as Trevor Noah and John Oliver, and he replied that it’s because he “doesn’t perform” or say things to make people applaud.

Maher has been nominated many times for his shows but has never won. On the other hand, Noah and Oliver are well decorated with Emmy Awards. However, Maher insisted that his bond with his audience is more important to him than any award.

Maher’s show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” was nominated for an Emmy severally, but it all ended in 2017 when his nomination received public backlash because of a racial slur he’d used while joking. He’s also well-known for his controversial statements, such as when he defended sex between adults and minors who are “in love.”

Read on to find out more.

Maher recently featured on the second episode of Chris Cuomo’s new show, “Cuomo.” The talk show host shared his theories on why his hit talk show, “Real Time With Bill Maher,” hasn’t won as many Emmy awards as several other famous talk shows, such as “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.”

Cuomo said per Yahoo, “Looking at just a sheer metric of ratings, okay? You crush John Oliver regularly. Trevor Noah’s, you crush his numbers. You do not get nominated the way they do for Emmys.” He then asked Maher why he thinks he doesn’t “get the shine that they do?”

Maher responded, “I tell the truth. I don’t perform for just one half of the country and say the things that will make them applaud, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Maher’s shows have been nominated many times but have never won an Emmy award. In clear contrast are Noah and Oliver, who have won several awards. Oliver has taken home an Emmy every year for several years. However, Maher says awards aren’t a priority to him.

He said, “They’re very talented people you’re talking about, and do fine shows. But I just — this has always been my bond with the audience, which is much more important to me than an award, is that I will call it as I see it.”

Maher’s string of Emmy nominations ended in 2017 after he was met with public backlash because of a controversy involving him using a racial slur while making a joke. However, Maher refuses to acknowledge that reason and blames the lack of nominations on woke culture.

“Woke culture” is a topic Maher has ranted about severally on his show recently. He said, “In recent years, yes, not even a nomination because, of course, the nominating body out here is very woke, and woke has become a big thing. And woke I say meaning woke with an eye roll kind of woke. I mean, there is a kind of woke that’s valid, when it started. It became ridiculous.”

Maher is well known for his extremely controversial statements, and the racial slur incident is just one of many he’s been accused of. He has also trended for his statements defending sex between adults and minors who “are in love.” He made controversial statements during a “Politically Incorrect” episode while the panel discussed Mary Kay Letourneau.

Letourneau was a teacher convicted of sleeping with a 12-year-old boy, whom she later married. Maher said, “She is in jail because she is in love. That’s how I view it. Basically, they’re having a family and they’re keeping the mother in jail because she won’t conform to what society feels should be the perfect American family.”

Maher once claimed that the increase in the numbers of the LGBTQ community is due to people wanting to be part of the trend. He also criticized parents who allowed their trans children to identify as they wished and said putting their kids on hormone blockers is a harmful experimental practice.