Bill Maher's Assassination Fears: Controversial Podcaster Refuses to Do Stand-Up Comedy Again Because He 'Could Get Shot by The Left or Right'
Maher revealed he quit touring, with one reason is he fears getting shot for his political views.
Nov. 18 2025, Published 2:08 p.m. ET
Bill Maher has revealed the shocking reason why he has quit touring with his stand-up comedy act and it circles back around to Charlie Kirk's assassination, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Real Time host, 70, made the admission during his Monday, November 17, episode of his Club Random podcast that he hasn't been on the road yet in 2025 and has no plans to go out again due to the political climate.
'I Could Get Shot'
Maher revealed he quit touring in 2024 with no plans to go back on the road.
"I got off the road this year. I stopped doing it at the end of 2024," Maher confessed to guest Patton Oswalt.
"I don’t want to be out there in this country, in this political atmosphere. I could get shot by the left or the right," he spilled. "It’s a good time to not be out there."
Republican firebrand Kirk was assassinated in Utah in September while debating students on a college campus. The gunman allegedly cited to his partner that the reason was Kirk's "hatred" and opposing beliefs after reportedly becoming radicalized with left-wing views.
While the assassination concern was one issue, the HBO personality had a litany of other reasons he no longer wants to tour.
'I Didn't Need' Touring
Maher is seen performing his stand-up set in Las Vegas in 2007.
"I just did my 13th HBO special. I feel like that's a good body of work. They basically got better as it went along. The last one was the best one, and that's a good way to get off," Maher boasted.
"I got tired of the travel, obviously," he continued while noting that he's also competing against a younger generation of comedians who are selling out arena tours.
"I just got tired of being twice as funny as people who were selling twice as many tickets as me," Maher huffed, claiming about exposure, "That's partly because I’m on TV every week."
"Not that I didn’t sell a lot of tickets and do great theaters — but I didn’t sell arenas," the New York native confessed. "And some people did, who, frankly, are not that great. But, you know, when the audience is 35 to 45, they don’t wanna see somebody 70… I still have my show, I have this, I didn't need it, I miss it, but that's part of what it is" about touring.
Fears for the Democratic Party
Maher has become vocal that he thinks the Democrats have moved too far to the left for many mainstream voters.
Maher has been angering both the left and the right these days, being highly critical of how far left his Democratic party has swung while still taking shots at President Donald Trump on Real Time.
The Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? Star shocked Oswalt, 56, when he called out far-left-wing progressive firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for being too extreme for his tastes.
In reference to the New York City congresswoman's apparent hints at a 2028 presidential run, Maher sneered, "If she had some deprogramming, she could be a fantastic candidate," leaving his liberal guest aghast.
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Voting Republican?
The lifelong Democrat has become more critical of the progressive-leaning bent in his party.
Maher has been highly critical of the Democratic party over the last year, even admitting he could "of course" see himself casting a Republican vote but only if "they would have to certainly lose the idea of 'we don’t concede elections.'"
The comedian conceded that Trump has been right on issues like the border and DEI, but worried about the president's "excesses."
"He showed that you can close the border. It wasn’t something you needed congressional help for. You could just do it, and he did it. He just did it too far," Maher explained. "And people don't like to see people tackled at Home Depot and people they know who have been in this country for a long time."
Ultimately, the Political Incorrections author sighed about both parties, "Why can’t either one be normal?"
