Bill Maher Reverses Course, Puts ‘Real Time’ On Pause Amid Strikes

etcanada.com:

Bill Maher is delaying the start of “Real Time”. The talk show host cited strike negotiations for the delay in a statement shared to social media on Monday, shortly after the WGA confirmed that “fair deal” negotiations with the AMPTP will restart on Wednesday. READ MORE: Writers Guild Strike: Celebs On The Picket Lines Maher’s decision comes after he announced last week that his HBO political talk show, “Real Time With Bill Maher”, will return to the air, but without writers amid the ongoing WGA strike.

Citing the need “to bring people back to work,” the comedian argued that the writers on strike are “not the only people with issues.” “My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike.

Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of ‘Real Time,’ for now, and hope they can finally get this done,” Maher shared on X Monday. READ MORE: Bill Maher Trashes ‘Barbie’ As ‘Preachy, Man-Hating Zombie Lie’ In recent months, all of television’s late-night series have gone dark due to the strike, now in its fifth month.

In the last week, several talk shows that announced they’d be resuming work, setting premiere dates amid the strike, have now halted their production plans, including “The Drew Barrymore Show”, “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show”. “Real Time”‘s last episode aired on April 28, to which its production suddenly came to a halt amid its 21st season.