30 most controversial Bill Maher moments

29. Bill Maher weighs in on the Bill Cosby sexual assault controversy

By now everyone knows about the allegations against disgraced funnyman Bill Cosby. The legendary comic is well known for his standup and acting career, and was set for a revival with an NBC show and a Netflix special. That all changed after a spotlight was shown on the alleged darker side of Bill Cosby, with multiple accusers insisting he sexually assaulted them.

At first, many comedians were afraid to approach this subject. Cosby was a highly respected celebrity, and hadn’t yet been charged and tried for any crimes. Yet the growing number of accusers certainly suggest guilt. To be safe, most late night comedians simply avoided the subject as much as they could.

But Bill Maher isn’t as willing to ignore the elephant in the room. On his show Real Time, Maher brings up the Cosby accusations straight up. He mentions how he typically believes in “innocent until proven guilty”, but 16 accusers (at that point) was certainly a lot. “Even for a guy who did a sitcom in the 80s,” Maher jokes, “that’s a lot of wacky misunderstandings.” He hits the Coz with a few more jokes, taking him to the coals much sooner than most other comedians.