Real Time with Bill Maher returned for its 20th season on Friday, and naturally, host Bill Maher came out firing with his usual round of controversial hot takes. This time around, Maher took aim at the current state of the coronavirus pandemic, which for the past month, has seen the omicron variant skyrocket cases across the country and pushed healthcare workers to their breaking point. However, instead of promoting the vaccine or safe practices like masking up, Maher announced that he’s over the pandemic, and he’s tired of precautions that he believes aren’t doing anything.
“It’s not real anymore!” Maher said about COVID before launching into a rant about how everyone’s being paranoid. “You go out, it’s silly now: You have to have a mask, you have to have a card, you have to have a booster. They scan your head, like you’re a cashier and I’m a bunch of bananas. I’m not bananas. You are!”
While the comedian was flamed all weekend on social media, Whoopi Goldberg stepped up to the plate first thing Monday morning and called out Maher during a fiery segment on The View. Via Mediaite:
Nobody on the planet really wants to go through this. This is not something we’re doing because it’s, you know, sexually gratifying. This is what we’re doing to protect our families, and you don’t have to do it, but stay away from everybody because if you are the one who’s not paying attention, and you’re coughing and sneezing, you don’t want to — then stay out of the public, man.
As Golberg continued, she dragged Maher even further for dismissing the real dangers that everyday people continue to face. “Nobody wants this,” Goldberg said. “I don’t want it, and I think he’s forgetting that people are still at risk who cannot get vaccinated, people who can’t. Little kids under the age of 5. Or people with health conditions. How dare you be so flippant, man?”
(Via Mediaite)