The Latest: Bill Maher apologizes for using racial slur
LOS ANGELES — The Latest on reaction to Bill Maher’s use of a racial slur during his HBO show Friday night.(all times local):
12 p.m.
Bill Maher has apologized for using a racial slur on his HBO show.
Maher wrote in a statement Saturday that he regrets using the slur to refer to himself as a house slave during a segment on his “Real Time with Bill Maher” show Friday night. He wrote that he slept poorly Friday night after realizing he shouldn’t have made the remark.
The comedian was roundly criticized after the show aired. HBO said Saturday it would not re-air the segment.
Maher was speaking with Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska when he used the slur.
The comedian immediately waved off audience groans.
Sasse wrote on Twitter that he wished he had immediately criticized Maher for using the term.
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11:50 a.m.
HBO says it will not re-air portions of segment in which Bill Maher uttered a racial slur during a discussion with a Republican senator.
The network said in a statement Saturday that Maher’s use of a slur to refer to himself as a house slave was inexcusable and tasteless. The network said it would remove the content from future airings of the Friday episode of the “Real Time with Bill Maher” show.
Maher was speaking with Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska when he used the slur.
The comedian immediately waved off audience groans.
Activists including the Rev. Al Sharpton quickly criticized Maher, and it remained a top-ranked topic on Twitter on Saturday morning.
Sasse wrote Saturday that he wished he had immediately criticized Maher for using the term.
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7:40 a.m.
Bill Maher is facing criticism for his use of a racial slur during a discussion with a Republican senator on his HBO talk show Friday night.
Maher was speaking with Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska during a segment of his “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Sasse joked that he would like to have Maher visit Nebraska and work in the fields, which prompted Maher to use a slur in a joke that he was a house slave.
The comedian immediately waved off audience groans.
Activists including the Rev. Al Sharpton quickly criticized Maher and it remained a top-ranked topic on Twitter on Saturday morning.
Sasse wrote Saturday that he wished he had immediately criticized Maher for using the term.
Maher’s publicists did not respond to an email seeking comment.
In this photo provided by HBO, Bill Maher, left, speaks with Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb, during a segment of his “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Friday, June 2, 2017. Maher is facing criticism for his use of a racial slur during a discussion with the Republican senator on his HBO talk show Friday night.