Olbermann attacked Maher as a 'selfish and unfunny scumbag'
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Left-wing commentator Keith Olbermann cursed out comedian Bill Maher after the HBO host said he would bring his show back amid the writers strike.
Olbermann took to social media platform X Thursday to say, "F--- you, Bill," after Maher announced he would continue producing and airing episodes of HBO’s "Real Time With Bill Maher" while writers are still on strike against major industry studios.
Maher made the announcement Wednesday on the platform, stating, "Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work."
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Leftist commentator Keith Olbermann ripped HBO host Bill Maher after Maher announced he would continue his show amid the writers strike. (1)Rich Fury/VF22, 2)Donna Ward)
He added, "The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily."
Writers are asking for higher pay, a guaranteed number of writers per room, better residuals, and safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process, in their list of demands.
Olbermann slammed the announcement shortly after it was made, targeting Maher personally in his post. Sharing a Variety article about the news, the former MSNBC commentator commented, "Without writers, the new weekly SCAB edition of ‘Real Time With @billmaher’ will be 83 seconds long."
He added, "As somebody who's known you since 1978: F--- you, Bill, you selfish and unfunny scumbag."
In his original announcement Maher added, "And I’ll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop."
But he noted, "the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bulls--t and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint."
Drew Barrymore received similar ire for announcing the return of her shows amid the ongoing strike.
Bill Maher announced Wednesday that his show "Real Time with Bill Maher" would be returning to HBO despite the ongoing writers strike. (Screenshot/HBO)
The host of "The Drew Barrymore Show" posted on X this week, "To be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show. However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me."
She added, "I own this choice… Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time."
However, social media users slammed Barrymore’s decision. One wrote, "Writers made you your career. They gave you lines. You wouldn’t have gotten where you are without them. I always thought of you as someone with great empathy. Not anymore. Not if you do this."
Warner Bros. Discovery said it did not have anything to add to Maher's statement, but reiterated the show would comply with the WGA strike.
"In compliance with the WGA strike, the series will return without writers and therefore will not have any written pieces including a monologue, desk piece, New Rules, or editorial," a spokesperson said to FOX News Digital.
Maher did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News' Kristine Parks and Caroline Thayer contributed to this story.
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Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
