Bill Maher took aim at Chappell Roan’s knowledge (or lack thereof if you’re Maher) on international affairs and where her generation is getting their information. Specifically, when it comes to the Middle East. The “Open Letter” came during the October 11 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. This address to the pop star came after the influential singer-songwriter, no stranger to controversy, made a series of political statements.
During host’s “New Rules” segment Maher marked the anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel. He started with, “To those viewers who are not watching this while looking at their phones, let me explain.” He quipped that the name Chappell Roan is “not the name of one of [Donald] Trump’s golf courses.”
Bill Maher/HBO
Maher did recognize her as a great new recording artist, recognizing her success in going from a struggling artist to 3.2 billion plays on Spotify. “She seems like a Gen-Zer who can be reached,” he added. He referenced past comments made where she said, “F*ck the policies of the right but also f*ck some of the policies on the left. That’s why I can’t endorse.” Roan has since declared voting for Kamala Harris for president but not endorsing.
He thought she was on the right track of questioning algorithms and doing some critical thinking. Then it comes to Isreal where Maher spoke about the 26-year-old’s generation’s lack of knowledge on past world events. “Getting all your history from TikTok is like getting all your calories from Hostess,” he said.
My open letter to @ChappellRoan: pic.twitter.com/lyf5rb4Sma
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 12, 2024
The comedian and political commentator dug in a little further. “I know you are moved by what you see on there. We all are. The dead Palestinian bodies, but it’s odd your generation didn’t seem nearly as moved by the Jewish bodies on October 7. You killed at Coachella this year, but when Hamas kills at a music festival, it’s a whole other thing.
He continued, “Doesn’t the site of so many young women raped at a music festival make it a little personal. My guess is that Gen-Z hearts are hardened by propaganda you see on TikTok, which likes to call the Jews colonizers…Calling Jews colonizers in Israel is like calling Native Americans colonizers here. It’s ridiculous…”
Maher accused the kids are “Pink Pony Club” singer of advocating for a place and culture she’d never want to live under. Chappell, if you think it was repressive growing up queer in the Midwest, try the Mideast. You’re a female drag queen and you sing, ‘“I f*cked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner, your parents at the table.’ Yeah, that wouldn’t fly in Gaza. Although you would, straight off a roof.”
His strong words concluded with, “Gender may not be binary, but right and wrong kind of is.” Chappell hasn’t responded to the comments as of press time. Earlier in the HBO show, Maher welcomed The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta to talk about his new book and Donald Trump’s popularity with evangelicals. Former CIA analyst and radio host Buck Sexton and CNN’s Laura Coates then joined at the table to discuss masculinity and the challenges Harris has faced leading up to the election.
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Real Time with Bill Maher, Fridays, 10/9c, HBO