Bill Maher in hot water after dropping the N-word

Bill Maher is facing heavy criticism after last night’s Real Time on HBO after dropping the notorious N-word in a joke on the show.

There are certain words you just cannot say on television. At the very least, the mightily offensive “N-word” should be kept off the table. Even if just using it for the sake of a joke, using it is always bound to generate tons of controversy.

We know Real Time‘s host Bill Maher is definitely no stranger to controversy. So why should he feel like any words are off limits to him? That’s apparently the way he feels, as he openly dropped the infamous slur on the show last night. Although it was merely a joke, the comedian is already finding himself under heavy fire.

The moment comes up during an interview with Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska. After Maher agreed that the people of Nebraska were a bit more mature than Californians, Sasse invites him to come “work in the fields” with him in the state. Without skipping a beat, Maher had this to say back:

"“Work in the fields? Senator, I’m a house n*gger. No, it’s a joke.”"

While the in-studio audience reaction was split, tons of people flocked to social media to rip Maher apart. Some are saying that using the word on TV is completely unacceptable, while others insist it’s “just a joke”. If you want to see the clip in question to form your own opinion, you can do so by watching the YouTube video below.’

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Maher will likely survive this firestorm, as he has every other he’s created. No matter how you feel about the Real Time host, he has no issues saying exactly what comes to mind. To see what he says next, tune into new episodes of Real Time Friday nights on HBO.