#1413 - Bill Maher

Joe Rogan (0:05)

Hello, Bill.

Bill Maher (0:06)

Great to be here in the man cave.

Joe Rogan (0:09)

This is the professional extension of the man cave. This part is, this is where real work gets done. This is the only part in the building.

Bill Maher (0:17)

It's worth it just to see it. No, really, I thought I was, and I did not expect this.

But, you know, as I was just telling you off the air, I invited myself on this show.

Joe Rogan (0:29)

Yes. Well, you requested it, and I did.

Bill Maher (0:32)

I said, what we're doing, we're coming back on the air, Real Time's coming back in a few days, and we always do something to promote it. I said, let's do that show.

You know, I like that show. Why can't I do the shows I listen to?

Joe Rogan (0:49)

Got that in Mexico.

Bill Maher (0:49)

You should put that in a, it looks like it should be a ring. A roadie.

Joe Rogan (0:59)

What season are you guys coming into?

Bill Maher (1:01)

Oh, fuck.

I don't know. Seasons, it's hard to, yeah, I can just go by years. We started on HBO in 2003, but then we used to do, for the first few years, they had us do two seasons. They took us, took them a while to get the idea that this is not like The Sopranos or any other show. This kind of show is a habit show. It has to be on most of the year. We used to do a season from February to like May, and then we'd be off for four months and come back for a few months in the fall. That's not the way you can do it when you're following events, a live show. So finally, somewhere in there, they just, okay, so then it was one long season as opposed to two, so I guess they counted the early years as two. We've been on HBO since 2003, but of course, I started, you were on the old show, Politically Incorrect. Somebody sent me a clip of that. Wow, I couldn't even bear to watch it, just from the way we looked.

It was too sad.

Joe Rogan (2:01)

Time is cruel.

Bill Maher (2:02)

It's, actually, we look better now just because we look douchier.

Younger, of course. I mean, that's the trade-off in life, is that you're douchier when you're younger, but you do look more pristine, shall we say.

Joe Rogan (2:16)

You're less beaten down by time.

Bill Maher (2:18)

Yeah, but that started in 93 So I've already passed my, we did a 25th anniversary show about a year and a half ago. Yeah, in the fall of 18 it aired.

I couldn't believe that.

Joe Rogan (2:34)

Do you know they're trying to bring back politically incorrect?

Bill Maher (2:37)

Who is they?

Joe Rogan (2:38)

Whoever the fuck they are, they came to me.

Bill Maher (2:40)

That's so funny, because I suggested that a while ago, not with me hosting it, of course, but with somebody else hosting it, but I'll have to ask my manager about that. I thought we, I guess we sold it.

I think that's true. When we moved to ABC, it must be ABC. When we moved to ABC, I think we probably sold them the rights to the show, which was probably stupid, but at the time it made sense. Well, good luck with it.

Joe Rogan (3:09)

I'm not doing it. It was one of those questions that my manager calls me up and says, you're not gonna want to do this, but I'm obligated to tell you.

Bill Maher (3:17)

Why wouldn't you want to do it?

Joe Rogan (3:18)

It just doesn't seem like something I'd want to do.

Bill Maher (3:20)

No, I'm insulted.

Joe Rogan (3:21)

No, I wouldn't ever want to take over your show after you did it. I know, exactly. And then you got it stripped away for saying something. The whole thing was, once someone does a show, leave it alone.

Right, leave it to another moment. If you left and they started doing Real Time with Adam Carolla.

Bill Maher (3:39)

Right, which is exactly what they will be doing.

Joe Rogan (3:43)

It's just, come up with a new fucking show.

Bill Maher (3:46)

Right.

Joe Rogan (3:47)

Do you feel constrained by the time? By the hour format?

Bill Maher (3:53)

Sometimes. I was on with Howard Stern recently and I was saying that to him, and I feel the same sometimes when I watch or listen to you. It's funny, I don't get America. People's attention span is either seven seconds or three hours.