Bill Maher slams California for failing on education and green energy: ‘You’re losing to Waffle House states’

Published May 30, 2026 10:30am ET | Updated May 30, 2026 10:30am ET



Comedian and late-night talk show host Bill Maher slammed California for its underperforming education system and lengthy permitting delays for green energy development.

“I say this with love, [Democrats are] losing to the Waffle House, car-on-the-lawn states,” Maher said on Real Time with Bill Maher Friday.

Maher highlighted wins in these areas in red states like Mississippi.

“Mississippi is kicking our ass in education, and for way less money,” Maher said. 

He quoted a statistic from the New York Times that said, “A black Mississippi child is two and a half times as likely to be proficient in reading by fourth grade as a black California child.”

Maher said California ranks 37th in fourth-grade reading, and Mississippi is ninth.

He also highlighted Texas’s dominance in green energy over California, noting the Lone Star State’s policies allow for faster installation of solar. He said Texas’s installation timeline is about three to four months.

Maher expressed his own frustrations with the solar panel installation process, saying that it was about “a thousand days faster” in Texas than it was in California.

“It would have been quicker to build a windmill,” Maher said.

“How does a state with no pro-climate policies produce better climate results than a state where here, we have so much better bumper stickers on our Priuses,” Maher said, showing a photo of a Toyota Prius with a California license plate and a “Save Our Planet” bumper sticker.

Maher claimed that Texas is able to make these advancements because “you’re allowed to build there,” noting the state’s relaxed policies on development. 

“Because every third person in Texas isn’t someone whose job it is to make sure nothing gets done,” Maher said. 

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He called out Democrats for falling behind in issues they view as the backbone of their party.

“These are your issues: education, race, the environment.”