Bill Maher just sent a direct message to President Donald Trump after the president accused him of using a "fake laugh machine" on a show. «Real Time With Bill Maher» .
On the Friday, June 5, episode of the CBS Tonight Show, 70-year-old Maher lashed out at 79-year-old Trump after the president criticized him in another post on Truth Social. Trump lashed out at both Maher and the former host. Late Show , calling the former "ratings-killing Bill Maher and his phony 'laugh machine,'" and the latter "CBS's really stupid Stephen Colbert.".
«"I can always tell when the president is in a bad mood because he starts tweeting about me," Maher noted during his opening monologue. "I'm honored to always be on his tweets, even when they're bad—and they're always bad.".
The comedian continued, "This week he said I'm 'low-ratings Bill Maher with his fake laugh machine.' First of all, low ratings? You're 35%. And fake laugh machine, can we show you our audience?"«
At that point, the scene shifted to archival footage of the audience applauding (including a black-and-white clip and a cartoon), mocking the accusation. Maher then quipped, "Now it's all clear.".
Later on Friday's episode Real Time — In his "New Rule" segment, Maher again invoked Trump's insult after making a joke about former President Joe Biden and artificial intelligence thinking for people. "A phony laugh machine," he said, prompting the audience to burst into rapturous laughter and applause.
This season's programs «Real Time With Bill Maher» The US President and Maher frequently traded barbs, particularly over their White House dinner in March 2025.
Program "Real Time With Bill Maher"« Airs Fridays at 10:00 PM/9:00 PM ET on HBO.
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