30 most controversial Bill Maher moments

5. Maher compares “retarded children” to dogs

Back when Bill Maher was hosting Politically Incorrect, he came under some fire for some comments he made about developmentally disabled children. Specifically, he likened them to dogs, saying there wasn’t much difference. He says that “retarded children” are pretty much the same thing as dogs. Maher goes on to hammer in the joke further, even telling one of the guests she should start treating her disabled nephew like a dog.

Even the audience doesn’t know how to respond, as they’re definitely more shocked than amused. And like you would think, there were a lot of people that weren’t very happy about the comments. You could say that the general public pretty much acted just as horrified as Maher’s guests. It’s important to note that none of them agreed with him.

Later, Maher issued a public apology, making no excuses for his remarks. He did say he deeply regretted saying them, attributing it to being caught up in the moment. Ultimately, it didn’t get his show pulled off the air or otherwise derail his career. But for a time, Maher saw himself being ripped apart by the rest of the media over the situation.