Bill Maher

Bill Maher Bio

William Maher (born January 20, 1956), widely known as Bill Maher, is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and political commentator. He first rose to prominence as the host of the late-night political talk show Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, which aired on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and on ABC from 1997 to 2002. Since 2003, he has hosted Real Time with Bill Maher, a weekly political comedy talk show on HBO that continues to shape American cable news commentary.

Maher is known for sharp political satire, blunt criticism of organized religion, and outspoken stances on free speech, cannabis reform, and animal rights. He has released the documentary film Religulous (2008) and is a board member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. His work as an executive producer on the HBO series Vice earned him a Primetime Emmy Award.

Early Life and Background

William Maher was born in New York City on January 20, 1956, into an Irish-American family. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., worked as a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie Maher (née Berman), worked as a nurse. Maher was raised in his father’s Roman Catholic religion and attended Catholic Mass regularly during his childhood. He has one sister, and his upbringing in a household with strong media and journalistic influences helped shape his later interest in commentary and performance.

Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974. He went on to attend Cornell University, where he double-majored in English literature and history. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1978. Maher has publicly acknowledged selling cannabis during his college years, saying it helped him pay his way through school and gave him the financial runway to launch his comedy career.

Path to Comedy and Television

After graduating from Cornell, Maher pursued a career in stand-up comedy. He became the host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979, the same year his professional comedy career began. Throughout the early 1980s, he made repeated appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, gaining national exposure. He also served as announcer and sidekick on the Disney Channel series Steve Allen’s Music Room in 1984, working alongside comedy legend Steve Allen.

Maher expanded into acting with his feature film debut in the comedy D.C. Cab (1983) and followed with appearances in Ratboy (1986), House II: The Second Story (1987), and Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1988). He made limited but notable television appearances on shows such as Sara (1985), Max Headroom (1987), and Murder, She Wrote (1989, 1990), building a résumé that blended film, sitcoms, and stand-up. In 1990, he hosted the short-lived CBS talk show Midnight Hour.

Bill Maher Career

Early Career (1979–1992)

Maher’s earliest professional years were anchored in stand-up and small-screen television work. After hosting Catch a Rising Star, he became a familiar face on late-night talk shows, which established his reputation as a politically engaged comic. His film debut in D.C. Cab (1983) was followed by a string of supporting roles and guest spots on prime-time television, including Charlie Hoover (1991) and the film Pizza Man (1991).

These years allowed Maher to refine the topical, news-driven monologue style that would later define his late-night shows. By the early 1990s, he had built a strong enough profile to land his first network hosting gig, the CBS late-night program Midnight Hour, though the show was short-lived.

Breakthrough (1993–2002)

In 1993, Maher launched Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher on Comedy Central. The show featured a topical monologue followed by a roundtable discussion with four guests drawn from politics, journalism, entertainment, and advocacy. Politically Incorrect moved to ABC in 1997, where it gained a larger audience and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE Awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show.

The program earned Maher ten Primetime Emmy nominations, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations. ABC declined to renew Maher’s contract in 2002 following controversial on-air remarks he made about the September 11 attacks. The show was canceled on June 16, 2002, ending a nine-year run that had cemented Maher’s national profile.

Real Time and Continued Success (2003–Present)

Maher returned to television in 2003 as host, co-producer, and co-writer of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. The weekly hour-long program opens with a comic monologue on current events, proceeds to a one-on-one interview, and closes with a panel discussion. In 2007, Maher and his co-producers received the Producers Guild of America Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television.

Real Time has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writers Guild Awards. Maher expanded his media footprint in March 2022 by launching the podcast Club Random, a series of long-form one-on-one interviews recorded in his home bar. In March 2024, he announced a podcast network, Club Random Studios, expanding his audio presence. He also served as an executive producer of the HBO newsmagazine series Vice starting in 2013.

Film, Documentaries, and Other Ventures

In 2008, Maher teamed with director Larry Charles to release Religulous, a documentary that spoofs religious extremism around the world. The film received wide theatrical release on October 3, 2008, and reinforced Maher’s reputation as one of the most prominent skeptic voices in entertainment. He returned to the stage in 2004 as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of Hollywood Hell House.

In 2012, Maher purchased a minority ownership interest in the New York Mets, which he later sold in 2020. He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010 and was ranked No. 38 on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time in 2005.

Notable Works and Milestones

Maher’s signature works include the long-running series Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present), Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (1993–2002), the documentary Religulous (2008), and the film D.C. Cab (1983). His Primetime Emmy win for Vice in 2014 stands as a career-defining moment, and his continued relevance through Club Random has kept him at the center of American political conversation.

Bill Maher Award Nominations

Across his career, Bill Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations spanning Politically Incorrect, Real Time, his HBO comedy specials I’m Swiss and Bill Maher: The Decider, and Vice. He has also received two Grammy Award nominations and a Tony Award nomination at the 57th Tony Awards in 2003 for Best Special Theatrical Event for Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home. Maher has additionally received multiple Producers Guild of America and Writers Guild of America nominations.

Bill Maher Awards Won

Bill Maher has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, a Producers Guild of America Television Producer of the Year Award, and the 2009 Richard Dawkins Award from Atheist Alliance International. He is also the 27th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor awarded by the Kennedy Center. Politically Incorrect earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE Awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show.

Bill Maher Family

Bill Maher was born to William Aloysius Maher Jr., a network news editor and radio announcer, and Julie Maher (née Berman), a nurse. He has one sister and was raised in an Irish-American Catholic household in River Vale, New Jersey. His father’s career in broadcast news provided an early connection to the media world that Maher would later enter as a host and commentator.

Personal Life

Bill Maher has never married and has referred to himself as a confirmed bachelor. He has been in a series of public relationships, including with flight attendant Coco Johnsen from 2003 to 2004, author Karrine Steffans beginning in 2005, science educator Cara Santa Maria from 2009 to 2011, and Canadian singer Anjulie Persaud beginning in 2014. Maher lives in Los Angeles, holds a California medical marijuana card, and has long been a public advocate for cannabis law reform.