Bill Maher used his “Real Time” monologue to roast Sean Hannity’s Trump interviews as “softball” questions, while also skewering Trump’s praise of Xi Jinping and mocking “tech bros” Elon Musk and Tim Cook’s trip attendance.
Sean Hannity walked into Bill Maher’s Friday-night spotlight, and left with a nickname instead of a punchline that stuck.
On “Real Time,” Maher took aim at what he called Hannity’s “softball” approach during a sit-down with President Donald Trump. Maher pointed to Trump’s trip abroad and specifically criticized Hannity for, in his view, failing to press on tough questions about Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping.
“And I gotta say also, the right-wing media,” Maher said. “Sean Hannity was on the trip. They did an interview. I don’t want to say Sean Hannity lobs a lot of softballs, but today he was made an honorary lesbian.”
Maher didn’t stop there. He went after Trump’s tone toward China’s leader, describing how Trump praised Xi as a “tough cookie” and “a great leader.”
“He calls him a tough cookie. He loves a tough cookie. He says, ‘He’s a great leader, I say that to everybody,’” Maher noted. “He didn’t say it to me. But, you know, maybe he did and I didn’t hear it because I was so nervous,” referencing Trump’s explanation of their now infamous dinner.
Maher then pivoted to the stakes of the relationship between two nuclear-armed countries, adding a jab at the image of Hollywood casting and Trump’s comments.
“He continued: “I’m glad our leaders of these two powerful countries with nuclear weapons aren’t fighting, but it’s getting a little – you know … You know what Trump said about Xi? If you went to Hollywood you could not find in central casting a better guy.”
For those wondering, Maher said those comments came from Trump during his conversation with Hannity.
The monologue also turned toward the state trip’s celebrity-adjacent attendance, with Maher taking shots at “tech bros” Elon Musk and Tim Cook for joining the outing. He mocked Musk’s presence in formal attire and joked about Elon only fathering one child during the time he was in China.
“Very sweet moment when the CEO of Apple he saw all of the kids and said. ‘Get back to work. ’” Maher quipped.. “[Musk] was there in a suit!. You don’t see that often.. It shows the respect Elon Musk has for the Chinese leadership.. And. out of respect for the one child rule that was pillar of Chinese society for so long. while he was in China for two days. Elon only fathered one child.”
Maher ended the segment by pointing to a viral-style aside circulating online: “According to a Swiss study, Hantavirus can survive in sperm for up to 6 years. If your sperm is more than six years old, see a doctor. You might be married.”
“Real Time With Bill Maher” airs new episodes on Fridays on HBO.
Bill Maher Real Time Sean Hannity Donald Trump Xi Jinping HBO Elon Musk Tim Cook