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Bill Maher set to face off with Chris Christie on an all new Real Time

By Matt Moore

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie participates in a discussion about his new book at the Washington POst January 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. In the book titled, 'Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics,' Christie claims that Jared Kushner was determined to push him out of President Trump’s orbit because Christie had prosecuted his father in 2004 for tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie participates in a discussion about his new book at the Washington POst January 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. In the book titled, 'Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics,' Christie claims that Jared Kushner was determined to push him out of President Trump’s orbit because Christie had prosecuted his father in 2004 for tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) /
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This week’s Real Time with Bill Maher will welcome former New Jersey governor and one-time presidential hopeful Chris Christie.

They say that timing is everything in comedy. And the same can be said when it comes to booking late night guests. For Real Time with Bill Maher, the timing couldn’t have worked out better for this week’s all new episode. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is out promoting his book at a time when government shutdowns and political investigations dominate the headlines.

Christie is certainly no stranger to controversies while in office. He’s also no stranger to President Trump’s administration. Christie was part of Trump’s transition team before being replaced with Vice President Mike Pence. That led to speculation Christie would land a future job in Trump’s cabinet but that hasn’t happened.

So while Christie has been out plugging his book Let Me Finish, the administration he helped take office remains under constant scrutiny. Another shutdown is a very real possibility and new investigations are coming regarding Trump’s finances.

Count Bill Maher among the people who benefit from this news. He’ll sit down with Chris Christie on Friday’s Real Time. For more on that and the rest of the episode, let’s get into Last Night On’s preview.

Top-of-show

The interview with Christie will start things off on Friday. Maher will be interviewing a controversial politician with inside knowledge on the Trump administration who is looking to drum up publicity for his book. It’s a perfect storm for a host like Maher.

Last Night On thought that Christie’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last week would be tense. Instead things went relatively smoothly as Christie was critical of President Trump’s handling of the shutdown. Only when Colbert brought up Christie’s unpopularity did any sign of friction show itself.

Don’t expect the same experience on Real Time. Bill Maher isn’t on CBS and as a native of New Jersey, he surely has a bone to pick with Christie. And that’s not to mention the host’s disdain for the alleged corruption in Trump’s White House.

Maher may press Christie to try to explain Trump’s motivations and actions. The former governor will likely try to avoid any criticism that is too harsh and may try to get himself on Maher’s good side like he tried to do with Colbert. The problem is that Maher doesn’t take too kindly to pandering and won’t fall for it.

Mid-show interview

There will be a slight change of pace in the mid-show interview when Maher welcomes comedian Eric Idle. As a founding member of Monty Python, Idle is nothing short of a comedy legend. He returns to Real Time for the third time and first since 2012.

In Oct. 2018 Idle released the book Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography. The memoir reflects on his early life and his career in television, films, and music. As a comedian for over 25 years, Maher should be excited to have Idle back on and discussing his approach to comedy crossed with political and social issues.

The panel

Journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker Jonathan Alter will be making his third appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Alter’s latest documentary will be airing on HBO later this month. Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists examines the lives and careers of New York City journalists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill. A description of the documentary describes the journalists as “controversial personalities whose TV appearances and comings-and-goings around town could be as entertaining as the stories they wrote.” Sounds like just the kind of people Bill Maher would appreciate.

Journalist and political correspondent Natasha Bertrand will also be on the panel. Friday will mark the second time she has been on the show.

In addition to her contributions on MSNBC, Bertrand’s work can be read in The Atlantic. In recent days she has been covering the close look at Trump’s transition team which fellow Real Time guest Chris Christie was a part of at one time. Bertrand has also been keeping an eye on the developing story regarding the House Intelligence Committee inquiring about Trump’s finances.

Former U.S. Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia rounds out the panel. He is no stranger to Real Time with 10 previous appearances under his belt.

Kingston served in the House of Representatives from 1992 to 2015 and had an unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 2014. He has been a strong supporter of President Trump and was until just recently a political commentator for CNN. You can expect Kingston to defend the GOP and Trump to Maher and anyone else on the panel looking for answers.

light. Related Story. The best jokes from Colbert, Fallon, and Meyers on the State of the Union address

Real Time with Bill Maher airs an all new episode on Friday, Feb. 8 at 10:00 PM ET on HBO. It will mark the fourth episode of what has already been a jam-packed 17th season. Tune into the show and then check back in with Last Night On for all the highlights.

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