After Drew Barrymore, Bill Maher en route to start HBO's Real Time amidst strikes

American comedian and commentator Bill Maher is gearing up to resume his HBO show, Real Time, without the assistance of writers. This decision comes amidst the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).

Maher's decision comes just days after Drew Barrymore said that her daytime talk show would return with new episodes beginning September 18, 2023.

Real Time with Bill Maher is a political chat show on HBO where Maher invites three guests from diverse backgrounds to discuss current events. On September 13, 2023, Bill announced via X (also known as Twitter) that the next season of his show would proceed without writers.

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"WGA will be picketing this show": Writers Guild reacts as Bill Maher announces the return of Real Time

Bill Maher's decision to write the show himself for the upcoming episode, scheduled to air on Friday, September 22, 2023, at 10 PM ET, is a response to the strike's impact on nighttime shows. He is the first late-night host to return to air, with others like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver delaying their return.

In response to Bill's decision, the Writers Guild of America expressed their disappointment through an official statement on Instagram.

“Bill Maher’s decision to go back on the air while his Guild is on strike is disappointing. If he goes forward with his plan, he needs to honor more than ‘the spirit of the strike.’ Bill Maher is obligated as a WGA member to follow the strike rules and not perform any writing services," the statement read.

"It is difficult to imagine how ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ can go forward without a violation of WGA strike rules taking place. WGA will be picketing this show,” it added.

This indicates that the WGA is not pleased with Bill's choice. However, Bill defended his decision on X, emphasizing that many lower-level workers are suffering due to the strike, and he can no longer stand idly by.

“I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much,” he said.

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Are Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher breaking the strike rules?

Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher have previously stated they will adhere to the "Strike Rules" by not promoting any series or films on their shows. Although Drew and Bill are members of WGA SAG-AFTRA, their appearances on talk shows do not violate the association rules since television contracts are separate from other forms of media.

Following this, daytime talk shows like The Jennifer Hudson Show, The Talk, and Live! With Kelly and Mark, Tamron Hall and Sherri are also returning to broadcasting without writers.

The WGA SAG-AFTRA strike, one of the longest in history, aims to secure higher wages and restrict the use of AI in screenplay writing, except for research purposes.

The WGA strike is now in its fifth month, causing a huge loss for the Hollywood industry. This upset the A-lister showrunners, resulting in the creation of shows without writers. Many push the union leaders to negotiate and find results. The strike is considered "existential" due to streaming-era impacts.

The strike is still ongoing, as there was no common ground between the two parties. The return of talk shows with self-produced content raises questions about the strike's effectiveness, and only time will tell if this poses a threat to the strike's goals.

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