HBO condemned Bill Maher’s use of the N-word on his show “Real Time” on Friday, which has elicited fierce backlash, but resisted calls for his ouster.
In a statement Saturday, the network said Maher’s comment last night “was completely inexcusable and tasteless.” HBO also said it will remove “his deeply offensive comment from any subsequent airings of the show.”
Maher was in the middle of a sit-down interview with Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., when he said it.
“I’ve gotta get to Nebraska more,” said Maher.
“You’re welcome. We’d love to have you work in the fields with us,” Sasse joked.
“Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house nigga,” Maher replied. Sasse, seemed to chuckle and smile uncomfortably as some people in the audience laughed and others groaned.
But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable. pic.twitter.com/K5XlEjekQ9— deray mckesson (@deray) June 3, 2017
Maher then offered a little reassurance to the audience: “It’s a joke.”
Still, Maher’s “joke” sparked criticism that spread on social media platforms like Twitter, including from Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders. “Neither history nor comedy gives you the right to use a vile slur as violent 1 liner,” tweeted NAACP president and CEO Cornell Brooks.
Some people even called for Maher’s ouster, including Deray McKesson, a civil rights activist and member of Black Lives Matter.
Maher has pushed the envelope in the past with his risque humor. Last month he made an incest joke about President Trump and his daughter Ivanka.
Maher’s show on ABC, “Politically Incorrect,” was canceled following widespread condemnation for a controversial remark he made in 2001 about the Sept. 11 attacks.
Sasse took to Twitter early Saturday to condemn the N-word’s use and shared what he wished he would have said at the moment it was uttered.
