Internet divided as Bill Maher defends Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker amid graduation speech backlash

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Bill Maher dismissed the outrage directed at Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker over his Benedictine College commencement speech on Friday, May 17 episode of 'Real Time'. 

In his address, Butker told the young women graduates that they had been fed "diabolical lies" about career aspirations, insisting that "one of the most important titles" for them is that of a "homemaker."

Bill Maher criticizes backlash directed at Harrison Butker over his commencement speech

Maher ridiculed the exaggerated criticism, suggesting that the detractors were portraying Butker as "history’s greatest monster."

"I can’t express how much this guy is not like me. He’s religious. He loves marriage. He loves kids… And he’s now history’s greatest monster," said the late-night host, as per the New York Post. 

He added, "Again, I don’t agree much with this guy, but I don’t get the thing. He said… 'Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world.' Ok, that seems fairly, like, modern. 'But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.'"

"I don’t see what the big crime is. I really don’t," stressed Maher. 

The comedian continued, "And I think this is part of the problem people have with the left is that lots of people in this country are like this. Like he’s saying some of you may go on to lead successful careers, but a lot of you are excited about this other way that people- everybody used to be. And now can’t that be a choice too?"

After Butker's speech was made public, his social media accounts were flooded with comments that indicated that his remarks related to the gender role of women were widely unpopular.

During his speech, the Chiefs kicker also praised his wife, Isabelle, noting that she "would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and mother."

Maher continued, "And I feel like they feel very put upon like there’s only one way to be a good person and that’s to get an advanced degree from one of those a– h–e factories like Harvard."

The HBO host later highlighted the irony in the selective outrage over Butker’s remarks, saying, "I find it very ironic that he’s saying, ‘You know what, in my world, you know, we like the women to stay at home and just have babies’ and the college kids and the young people find this absolutely abhorrent, but they're demonstrating for Hamas, who make that the law!"

Maher further exclaimed, "It’s not just an opinion in Hamas, that you stay home and have the babies. They will enforce you [to do] that!"

Netizens have mixed feelings about Bill Maher's defense of Harrison Butker

One wrote, "Bill Maher is coming around to reason. I suspect he has even more conservative views on some topics that he cannot express. He has an audience that expects a certain ideology. They attack him when he says anything reasonable. I suspect over the years we will see a gradual move to more Reasonable views. He seems to care about truth."

Another shared, "Honestly, people get upset over the smallest things nowadays. Everyone's entitled to their opinions and speeches. Don't see why this is such a big deal."

"The big crime is social media, where everything in the world gets tons more attention than it deserves," expressed a person, and someone else mocked Maher, writing, "He wont see it, its not his fault."

An individual shared, "Of all the commencement speeches that have occurred, that were intelligent, inspiring, uplifting and some very funny, this supercilious Old Testament claptrap gets traction. Why?"

One more simply asked, "And it matters what Bill Maher thinks why???"

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.