Bill Maher Plans To Retire From Stand-Up: Know Why

322

Bill Maher, who is well-known for his sharp wit and unabashed humour, said on his Club Random podcast that he would be leaving stand-up comedy after his next HBO special.

After this year, I’m going to stop performing [stand-up] comedy, revealed Maher, a mainstay of the stand-up comedy scene for more than 40 years.

Maher insisted on playing down the drama despite the gravity of the news, saying, “I don’t want to make a big announcement or something.” His 13th comedy special on HBO premieres at the same time as his decision to give up the mike.

The comedy icon himself, Seinfeld, acknowledged the extent of Maher’s contribution to the medium by only saying, “That’s a lot.”

Maher said, “I put a lot of time and effort into it,” reflecting on the commitment needed to succeed in stand-up. “As you know, stand-up is like playing the cello,” he continued. That’s not where you can just stroll up. You must continue practising. I always enjoyed it, and I still do. I’m constantly honing it. However, I host a show on [television].

Since 2003, Maher has hosted his weekly talk show, Real Time with Bill Maher, in addition to his stand-up career.

Curious Seinfeld questioned Maher, “I don’t know how you kept [performing stand-up] during the show, or frankly, why”

“Because they fed each other, it was so great, and also because I love it,” the comedy icon responded.

“I can be the loosest—the show’s great, but there’s constrictors there, [Club Random] is looser, but what’s looser than just, you people paying to see me. Even if you don’t like it, you kind of have to laugh.”

Maher did, however, leave the door open in case he wanted to go back on stage.

“I don’t want to announce that this is my final [act] after 40 years,” he stated.

“I might decide differently. I have to go back to it, and it might be like chopping off a limb,” Maher pondered.

Looking ahead, “If I don’t have to practice the cello eight hours a day, I might want to do some [Club Random episodes] live,” he suggested, and added, “That’s kind of an interesting option that people do nowadays. It’s kind of an event.”

For the time being, Club Random fans may still enjoy brand-new episodes every Monday.

Comment via Facebook

Corrections: If you are aware of an inaccuracy or would like to report a correction, we would like to know about it. Please consider sending an email to [email protected] and cite any sources if available. Thank you. (Policy)


Comments are closed.