During a heated exchange, Bill Maher and liberal commentator Ana Kasparian debated cultural freedoms in the Middle East, specifically focusing on women’s attire. The discussion took place on Maher’s latest Club Random podcast episode, where Kasparian, co-host of the progressive news show The Young Turks, was a guest. The conversation shifted to the Israel-Gaza situation and women’s rights, prompting Maher to challenge Kasparian on her views. He asked her to name a Middle Eastern city where she would feel at ease wearing her western outfit.

Maher suggested various cities such as Karachi, Cairo, Oman, and Jordan, and mentioned Beirut, highlighting its intermittent periods of peace. His point was to emphasize Israel as a bastion for western values, contrasting it with neighboring countries he deemed less conducive to such freedoms. Throughout their exchange, Maher repeatedly inquired, “Where do you think you’d be comfortable in that dress?” referring to Kasparian’s boat-neck white mini dress, which contrasted sharply with the dress codes in many Middle Eastern societies.

Initially evasive, Kasparian eventually acknowledged that her attire might not be welcomed in most Middle Eastern countries. However, she attributed this to the region’s instability, a statement that Maher immediately challenged. “Destabilized? Are you blaming it on the West?” he retorted, questioning her implication that Western actions were responsible for the cultural norms she criticized. The conversation intensified as they both spoke over one another, with Maher pressing, “So you’re saying our actions are why you can’t wear that dress there?”

Kasparian initially appeared to double down on her comments, shouting: ‘Did we not distabilize? We were finding terrorist organizations in Syria during the Syrian civil war starting under the Obama administration. Did that not destabilize Syria?’ But Maher continually tried to interject and bring her back to the initial question, insisting: ‘We are talking about your dress.’ ‘It looks good, I know it looks good,’ she snapped. ‘You’re saying you can’t wear that dress in Syria because of whitey destabilizing?’ Maher responded, ignoring her quip about the dress. ‘I didn’t say that. You’re putting words in my mouth,’ Kasparian hit back.

She went on to accuse Maher of trying to get her to engage in a discussion about ‘jihadism and Islam’, but the comedian noted ‘it’s not just Jihadism that is preventing you from wearing that dress. ‘Are you saying every Muslim is a jihad?’ he added. ‘I don’t think they are.’ Ultimately, Kasparian said she ‘would figure something out’ but admitted: ”I’m sure a woman of my age who grew up in the western world would probably feel the most comfortable in Tel Aviv, I will concede that.’ Kasparian was recently accused of performing an antisemitic trope by pro-Israel group the Canary Mission after she did an impression of Jewish billionaire Larry Ellison on an episode of The Young Turks that some deemed offensive.

Due to the backlash over her Ellison impression, Kasparian now claims that she’s the target of a ‘propaganda campaign’ to falsely paint her out as an antisemite, and believes that this contributed to her altercation with the woman this week. While Kasparian is an outspoken liberal, she famously ditched the Democrats after some sympathized with a homeless [degenerate] who [sexually abused] her back in 2022. The California-native opened up about her traumatic experience years ago, sharing that while she was out walking her dog in Los Angeles, two men – both assumed to be homeless and under the influence of drugs – grabbed her by the waist and proceeded to thrust into her body.

Kasparian, who is married to high school physical education teacher, said the turning point in her political stance was after the alleged [sexual abuse] when she was scolded by liberals following her confession of feeling fearful to leave her house. Some of the messages claimed she was ‘painting a wrongful picture of the homeless community,’ some even calling her a racist – though she ‘never disclosed the race’ of the men. ‘That woke me up,’ Kasparian said. ‘I’m at a point where I do not want to be pigeon-holed in any political tribe or identity. Everything has become dogmatic and if you don’t buy into the entirety of the dogma you open yourself up to backlash. It’s not a fun experience.’