Bill Maher mocks Tokyo Olympics over ‘woke’ attitude and condemns cancel culture

Late-night host denies his politics have changed, saying instead that he is reacting to political views that have shifted

Bill Maher has despaired over so-called “cancel culture” and called it “an insanity that is swallowing up the world”.

The late-night TV host’s New Rules monologue in the newly returned Real Time on HBO featured a criticism of the ongoing Tokyo Olympic Games, in which he compared it to this year’s Oscars ceremony.

During the segment, Maher listed various examples at this year’s Summer Games where officials had come under scrutiny over historic behaviour – in some cases incidents that took place decades ago.

This included the opening ceremony’s musical director who was criticised over a 1994 interview, in which he admitted to bullying fellow students when he was a child.

“Remember when your teacher used to scare you, they’d say ‘You know, this is going to go down on your permanent record.’?” Maher said. “No longer an empty threat.”

In the clip, he also addressed claims that his political stance has shifted, responding: “I am reacting to politics that have [changed].”

He used the hashtag #WokeOlympics as he shared the clip on Twitter, adding: “How bad does this atmosphere we’re living in have to get before the people who say cancel culture is overblown admit it is in fact an insanity that is swallowing up the world?”

“Snitches and bitches, that’s not being liberal,” he said.