Bill Maher Returns To Show Over Fears Aging Fan Base Will Die Off Before Writers’ Strike Ends

LOS ANGELES—In a controversial move earning him the ire of the Writers Guild of America, television host Bill Maher confirmed this week that he would cross picket lines to put his show Real Time back on the air, citing concerns his aging fan base would die off before the writers’ strike ended. “Look, the fact is, we have no idea how long this thing could go on, and the people who actually enjoy my show are dying off by the day,” said the comedian and WGA member, explaining that his producers had shown him a series of actuarial charts and warned that his show would need a ratings bump this fall before his remaining viewers began to enter hospice. “I wish I could help out the writers, but my captive audience of people who are literally too old and infirm to change the channel when Real Time With Bill Maher comes on is not long for this world.” According to recent Nielsen ratings, the majority of households tuning into Real Time are occupied by individuals whose in-home caregivers have not yet entered the room to discover they are dead.