Bill Maher Reveals Why He Quit Stand-Up Comedy: 'I Could Get Shot by the Left or the Right'

Comedian Bill Maher said he will be quitting stand-up comedy, fearing that the volatile political climate could get him “shot by the left or the right.”

Maher revealed his thoughts about the state of comedy and the broader political world when speaking with fellow comedian Patton Oswalt on his Club Random podcast.

“I don’t want to be out there in this country, in this political atmosphere. I could get shot by the left or the right,” Maher said. “It’s a good time to not be out there.”

Maher, however, did admit that he has grown “tired of the travel” that stand-up comedy demands as well as growing tired of “being twice as funny as people who were selling twice as many tickets as me.” Maher said that his being on TV every week likely gives his fans less incentive to buy tickets.

“Not that I didn’t sell a lot of tickets and do great theaters—but I didn’t sell arenas,” Maher said. “And some people did, who, frankly, are not that great. But, you know, when the audience is 35 to 45, they don’t wanna see somebody 70… I just did my 13th HBO special. I feel like that’s a good body of work… I felt they all, they basically got better as it went along. I feel like the last one was the best one, which is a good way to get off.”

Maher has been both critical of Republicans and Democrats during the Trump era, most notably taking issue with Democrats for enacting politically correct social laws (wokeness) and being intolerant of opposing views.

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.