HBO host Bill Maher mounted a surprise defense of embattled conservative, Christian Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker on his show Friday.
Perhaps Maher’s coming to the aid of the 28-year-old wasn’t all that surprising — given the fact that the longtime talk show host, an unabashed liberal, has increasingly challenged “wokeism” in recent years.
Maher has endeared himself to many conservatives because unlike the extreme left, the secular, pro-abortion 68-year-old at least stands for ideals such as free speech and the right of Israel to exist.
While anything but a conservative, Maher seems to have a grasp that many, many issues are much more nuanced than his fellow Democrats would like to acknowledge.
On Friday’s edition of “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the host reminded his audience that Butker angered the left earlier this month when he celebrated traditional conservative values while addressing an audience of Catholic college graduates.
What’s the big idea, and why aren’t Christians allowed our own spaces in a world dominated by loud neo-Marxists?
That was essentially Maher’s take on the outrage when he discussed Butker’s triggering commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.
Maher noted that he does not share much in common with the Chiefs kicker, who he says unlike himself is a person of faith, loves children and loves being married.
“I couldn’t be more not like this guy,” Maher said.
Is Bill Maher the most sane liberal in the media?
He then repeated comments Butker made to Benedictine grads about how some of the young women might go on to become homemakers, and that there’s not only nothing wrong with that, but that it is something to take pride in.
While addressing criticism from fringe elements of the left, Maher said, “I don’t get the thing. He said, talking to women, ‘Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world.’ OK, that seems fairly like — modern.”
Reading a transcript of some of Butker’s commencement speech statements, Maher continued, “‘But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.’”
“I don’t see what the big crime is. I really don’t,” the host said.
WARNING: The following video contains language that some viewers might find offensive.
NEW: Show host Bill Maher defends Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker who is facing massive backlash for defending traditional values.
Maher also blasted college kids for being offended by Butker encouraging women to stay home while “demonstrating for Hamas.”
“I don’t see what the… pic.twitter.com/OY0VxRKPzE
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 18, 2024
Maher then criticized the left for becoming triggered by the NFL player because many of them already hate married, Christian conservative men and women, anyway.
“I think this is part of the problem people have with the left, is that lots of people in this country are like this,” Maher said. “Like he’s saying, ‘Some of you may go on to lead successful careers, but a lot of you are excited about this other way that people, everybody used to be and now can.’”
Maher then asked, “Can’t [being a homemaker] just be a choice, too?”
“I feel like [angry leftists] feel very put upon like there’s only one way to be a good person, and that’s to get an advanced degree from one of those a**hole factories like Harvard,” he added.
The HBO host later hit the far left with a dagger.
“I find it very ironic that [Butker] is saying, ‘In my world, we like the women to stay at home and just have babies,’” Maher said.
“The college kids and the young people find this absolutely abhorrent, but they’re demonstrating for Hamas who make that a law,” he concluded. “It’s not just an opinion in Hamas that you stay home and have the babies.”
Butker has taken flak from the left for weeks, all because he reminded young people who are about to enter the world that there are multiple ways to achieve success.
When urging them not to fall for the left’s “diabolical lies,” Butker praised his own wife Isabelle for being a stay-at-home mother and the primary caregiver to their children. He simply stated that it is a life path that is OK for women to walk down.
The rage being directed at the NFL role model is anything but shocking and will soon fade away as the intolerant left finds a new target.
What is surprising is that Maher continues to be a voice of reason while the country’s political, cultural and social divides widen.
How many people would have guessed just a few years ago that Bill Maher would become a person that any sane person could tune into for an honest take on a topic?
