Prominent liberal American comedian, political commentator and TV host Bill Maher said he nixed a two-hour episode with Kanye “Ye” West, whom he called “a very charming anti-Semite,” over fears that West’s inflammatory rhetoric would further hatred and vitriol against Jewish people.
Maher announced during an interview with Harvey Levin on “TMZ Investigates,” which aired earlier this month, that he would not be airing the two-hour episode with West, which was taped for his podcast “Club Random with Bill Maher.”
Maher said the problem is that West “appeals mostly, of course, he’s a rock star, to young people. They don’t know much and they certainly don’t know much about the Middle East or Jews,” he added, suggesting these youths are easy to influence.
Maher added that he believes West “was helpful for spreading the fertilizer, and I do mean fertilizer, for this idea that Israel and the Jews are like the worst people in the world.”
Despite this, Maher said he thought his never-to-be-broadcast two-hour podcast episode with West “was going to be a learning moment,” and that “we had an amazing, fun time.” He added that West is “a very charming anti-Semite.
“And by the way, he’s not the only one in America who feels that way,” Maher added. “It’s not like the Jews are universally loved, except for Kanye West, OK?”
Levin responded to this by likening West to Adolf Hitler, adding that a lot of people may have been “thinking what [Kanye West] was thinking” about Jewish people, “but in Kanye’s case, the fact that he’s saying it out loud gives other people permission to say it too.”
“Yes. Exactly,” Maher said. “That’s why I wouldn’t air that episode. Because I’m not going to contribute to this.”
“I like Hitler,” West said in an interview with Rolling Stone in December 2022. During the interview, West wore a black mask that covered his entire face and neck.
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At one point during the interview with Alex Jones, West said, “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”
In December, West apologized to the Jewish community on his Instagram account, in Hebrew, for several anti-Semitic comments, which included his praise for Adolf Hitler.
West isn’t the only prominent figure in the entertainment industry to be engrossed in anti-Semitic scandals.
Nick Cannon made headlines for making anti-Semitic remarks during a June 30, 2020, episode of his podcast, “Cannon’s Class.”
During the episode, he discussed several conspiracy theories about Jewish people and made comments that were widely criticized, stating that “black people are the true Hebrews,” and making various statements about racial superiority.
Following the interview, ViacomCBS released a statement saying “The company’s relationship with Cannon is now terminated.”
Less than a month later, Cannon issued an apology on “X” for his words. “First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin.” He added, “They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naïve place that these words came from. The video of this interview has since been removed.”
