Bill Maher took aim at progressive academics for denigrating Western civilization while benefiting from its institutions.
During Friday night’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, the 69-year-old comedian sat down with Wesleyan University President Michael Roth, 68, to discuss the backlash against Israel on college campuses. The conversation quickly turned to how elite universities frame the very concept of Western civilization.
“Israel was known as an outpost of Western civilization,” Maher told Roth during the panel segment. “And that’s what it was called. That was always a good thing. Now, I don’t think it is.”
Maher’s remark referenced the shifting campus climate since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began following the Oct. 7 attacks. The “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” movement has gained traction at Wesleyan and other elite schools, drawing Roth into public debates over academic freedom and institutional neutrality.
“Western civilization — they talk about it like it’s a bad thing, instead of saying Western civilization is what gave everyone who’s a progressive the things they should be most proud of,” Maher continued.
Roth acknowledged the sentiment has taken hold among undergraduates. “A lot of our students think just that,” he said, prompting Maher to quip about his own influence: “The professors are teaching that message? I think they’re learning it from my show.”
The exchange grew more pointed when Roth suggested faculty might actually constitute more of Maher’s viewership than the typical 18-year-old demographic. Maher then pressed whether he would find an audience at the Middletown, Conn., campus.
“Welcome maybe not, but certainly …” Roth replied, trailing off as the studio audience laughed.
Maher, who has built a career skewering left-wing orthodoxies from his perch as a self-described liberal, fired back with his Democratic Party bona fides. “Someone who twice gave the Democrats a million dollars — that’s not enough credentials to come up?” he marveled.
Roth pivoted to fundraising humor. “If you brought $1 million for the school, you’d be welcomed with open arms,” he said, drawing more audience laughter.
The segment underscored Maher’s longstanding critique of campus culture, where he argues progressive ideals have curdled into reflexive hostility toward Western institutions. His pointed exchange with Roth, a university leader who has himself criticized the BDS movement, highlighted the tension between administrative caution and Maher’s confrontational style.
Roth has publicly opposed boycotts of Israeli academics, a stance that has placed him at odds with activist students and some faculty at the Connecticut liberal arts college. Friday’s appearance marked another high-profile engagement for the president as he navigates competing pressures on campus.
Maher’s HBO program airs weekly on Friday nights.