Overview
- In a Club Random episode released Nov. 17, Maher said, "I could get shot by the left or the right," calling it "a good time to not be out there."
- He also cited exhaustion from travel, weekly TV exposure reducing live demand, and a generational shift that favors younger arena acts.
- Maher ended touring after late 2024 shows and his 13th HBO special, and he continues to host Real Time and his podcast with no return to live touring signaled.
- During the exchange with Oswalt, he argued Democrats have moved too far left, listed issues from gender to crime, referenced a New York Times editorial urging moderation, and said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would need "deprogramming."
- Coverage notes the context of recent political violence, and Maher has previously pointed to the September killing of Charlie Kirk as evidence of a toxic climate.