Bill Maher took aim at left-leaning academics, accusing them of denouncing Western civilization while benefiting from the freedoms, institutions and cultural values it helped build.
On Friday night’s edition of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the comedian raised the issue during a discussion about Israel with Wesleyan University President Michael Roth. Roth has spoken out against the “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” movement targeting Israel, which has gained traction at the elite Connecticut college and on other campuses.
“Israel was known as an outpost of Western civilization,” Maher told Roth.
“And that’s what it was called. That was always a good thing. Now, I don’t think it is,” Maher said, pointing to how views of Israel have shifted during its war against Hamas in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Maher argued that the phrase “Western civilization” has increasingly been treated as an insult rather than a description of the social and political traditions many progressives claim to value. “Western civilization — they talk about it like it’s a bad thing, instead of saying Western civilization is what gave everyone who’s a progressive the things they should be most proud of,” he said.
Roth responded by conceding that “a lot of our students think just that.”
Maher appeared stunned by the admission.
“The professors are teaching that message? I think they’re learning it from my show,” Maher quipped.
Roth suggested the professors might be watching his show more than the typical 18-year-old, prompting Maher to ask whether he could come to the Middletown, Conn., campus and be “welcome.”
“Welcome maybe not, but certainly …” Roth responded, drawing laughs from the audience.
That prompted Maher, who frequently skewers the left, to point out his Democratic fundraising credentials.
“Someone who twice gave the Democrats a million dollars — that’s not enough credentials to come up?” he marveled.
Roth said if he brought $1 million for the school, he’d be welcomed “with open arms,” earning laughs.
