Bill Maher Jokes He and Late Lindsey Graham Shared One Thing in Common: 'We Both Made It to 70 Without Getting Married'
Bill Maher returned to 'Real Time' with a tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Aug. 1 2026, Published 4:40 p.m. ET
Bill Maher returned to Real Time after a month-long summer break, paying tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham while joking about their shared trait, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
He opened Friday’s show by noting political shakeups during the hiatus before addressing Graham’s death.
Bill Maher Reflects on Lindsey Graham's Death
The comedian praised the large turnout at Lindsey Graham's funeral in Washington, D.C.
"While we were off, only a month, but lots of change in the Republican Party," Maher began during his opening monologue.
"Lindsey Graham dropped dead, you know this. Mitch McConnell also died, but he still wanders the earth," he quipped, referencing the former Senate Republican leader's prolonged absence from public life following a medical emergency earlier this summer.
Maher then shifted to a more sincere tone as he acknowledged the late South Carolina senator's funeral.
"But not Lindsey Graham, you know, look, say what you want about him, he had a funeral the other day, National Cathedral, world leaders showed up. It's not often a senator gets that kind of a send-off," he said.
'We Both Made It to 70'
Bill Maher joked he and Lindsey Graham both made it to 70 without ever getting married.
Maher went on to point out what he described as the one similarity he shared with Graham.
"I must say, on a personal note, looking for common ground with Lindsey, we both made it to 70 without getting married," he said.
The audience erupted into laughter before Maher added: "We took slightly different pathways, but we both made it to 70."
Graham was 71 when he died on July 11.
Donald Trump Faced Backlash at Lindsey Graham's Memorial
Donald Trump was criticized after adding unscripted remarks during Lindsey Graham's eulogy.
Maher's latest remarks came just days after President Donald Trump sparked backlash over comments he made while delivering Graham's eulogy at the Washington National Cathedral.
Reading from prepared remarks, Trump said: "Virtually everyone, Republican or Democrat, liked Lindsey," before pausing to add, "Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. Not everybody."
He later veered off script again while describing the late senator.
"He was a tough cookie," Trump said. "I have to be — I have to veer from this for a second. He was a tough cookie, darling. But he was beautiful."
The comments quickly spread across social media, where critics accused the president of making the memorial about himself.
One X user wrote: "Wowwww this guy is completely unhinged. Roasting the guy at his funeral proceeding?"
Another added: "He can even take a eulogy and make it about himself."
Donald Trump Also Praised His 'Beloved Friend'
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Donald Trump called Lindsey Graham a 'beloved friend' and praised his decades of service.
Despite the criticism, Trump largely used the eulogy to honor Graham's decades of public service and close friendship.
Calling the late senator a "beloved friend" and a "force to be reckoned with all over the world," Trump said: "For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it."
"He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out," Trump continued. "There was truly nobody like Lindsey Graham."
