Bill Maher slams 'The View' hosts over slow reaction to Jimmy Kimmel suspension
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On the October 3 episode of 'Real Time with Bill Maher', the HBO host called out the co-hosts of 'The View' for their “deafening silence” on Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension.
The criticism came days after ABC pulled 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' off air following the comedian’s controversial remarks about the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk.
Bill Maher accuses 'The View' co-hosts of delayed response
Maher mocked 'The View' panel—Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin—for taking nearly a week to respond.
“It wasn’t a good look for the woman party that all the guys were speaking out for Jimmy Kimmel when Trump went after him except on the woman show, where for five days the outspoken hosts were suddenly as quiet as a geisha,” Maher said.
“Then on the fifth day they rose and said, ‘No one silences us.’”
ABC faces backlash for pulling Jimmy Kimmel off air
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' was suspended by ABC and its parent company, the Walt Disney Company, on September 17, after Kimmel made remarks about the alleged killer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
While other Hollywood figures, including Howard Stern, publicly slammed the network, 'The View' remained quiet for nearly a week, sparking speculation that they were pressured by ABC to stay silent.
Bill Maher jokes no one needed to silence hosts
Referring to Goldberg’s September 22 comments that “no one silences us,” Maher quipped, “No one had to—you silenced yourselves.”
He continued, “Did you all really think we weren’t going to talk about Jimmy Kimmel? Uh, no. I thought you would, but then you didn’t. Five days. Talk about needing extra time to get ready.”
Representatives for 'The View' declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Whoopi Goldberg defends waiting before speaking out
On September 22, Goldberg addressed the delay on air, explaining, “When the news broke last week about Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, we took a breath to see if Jimmy was going to say anything about it first. We did the same thing with Stephen Colbert.”
She added, “Have you watched the show over the last 29 seasons? No one silences us.”
Bill Maher says 'The View' avoided past controversies
Maher noted it wasn’t the first time the panel skipped a major controversy. “I’m friendly with the ladies on 'The View', but they didn’t say anything about this, this week. Nothing,” he said.
“You know, because it’s never been their thing to weigh in on the issues. It’s just an upbeat party show. That’s why they hired people named Joy and Sunny and Whoopi,” he joked.
