Bill Maher Rips TLC, A&E and Playboy Brand Morphing On HBO’s ‘Real Time’

Last night on HBO‘s Real Time with Bill Maher, the controversial late night host spent his “New Rule” segment of the show ridiculing the progressive blurring of brand identities. He called out TLC and A&E, which have totally morphed from their roots of learning and arts and entertainment into reality shows.

“The History Channel has no history, and MTV has no music,” he stated. “You can buy a petting zoo and turn it into a bondage dungeon, but you gotta change the sign.”

Maher also took issue with Playboy’s attempt to do away with nudity—which has basically always been their sole focus. Removing nudity from the magazine “was like taking cats out of Cat Fancy,” he said. On a similar note, Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue now celebrates “all kind of bodies except the good kind.”

“Was it really such a crime to have one magazine once a year to have supermodels attempt to hide their nipples?” Now, he says, SI seems “edited by the Huffington Post.”

Valentine’s Day, the Boy Scouts, and ACLU were also in Maher’s hot seat for altering their brands and missions. But what’s an episode of Real Time without some politics? Maher saved his final point for the Republican Party, which he accused of representing “a form of government you don’t believe in.” The answer to addressing its lack of identity is to rename it “The Trump Party,” he concluded.

Earlier in the show, Maher spoke about The Walt Disney Co. and CEO Bob Chapek who were recently under fire for their perceived slow reaction to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

That legislation became an issue which Hollywood was forced to address this week, as Disney employees disapproved of the company’s initial hesitation to take a stance.

Maher noted that we live in a world where corporations now have to take sides. He posed the question about whether inserting themselves into politics and social issues is a good thing to panelists Kristen Soltis Anderson, pollster and founding partner at Echelon Insights, and Max Brooks, the author of “World War Z” and host of Max Brooks Breaks Down on YouTube.

“In most cases, no,” said Soltis Anderson, who noted that leftists have always been against corporate activism and are now the ones demanding it. However, she said, “Disney does sell values,” making them more obligated to speak out than the average company.

Brooks said anyone who makes money takes a stand. But, he said, “As a consumer, I have a choice. When Disney comes out with Mulan 2 and she wants to fight the Dalai Lama, I can say goodbye.”

Maher ended the discussion by concluding how “We’re becoming a country where we have nothing in common.” He added that America “needs more neutral things.”

“Most Americans are with you on that,” Solitis Anderson said.

You can watch Maher’s full “New Rule” segment above and catch new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher on Fridays at 10:00 p.m. on HBO Max.

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor

Stream Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO Max