Is Real Time with Bill Maher new tonight, June 28?

It’s the time of year for vacations so will Real Time with Bill Maher be live tonight on HBO?

With the month of June drawing to a close, we’re entering the prime of the summer season. The time of year where people take vacations or cut out of work a little early to get a jump on the weekend. Does this apply to Real Time with Bill Maher?

It may be the ideal time for the rest of us to take a break but it wouldn’t be the best timing for Bill Maher. Not surprisingly, it has been a busy week in Washington, D.C.

Conditions at U.S. detention facilities along the southern border have been compared to human rights violations. Robert Mueller will testify in front of Congress. President Donald Trump is off to Japan for the G20 summit. And the Democratic candidates for president had their first debates.

That is a lot to cover for any show. Late night hosts have been doing their best to keep on top of these stories. Stephen Colbert was especially busy with two live shows following the debates. But it is Friday and that means it is time for Real Time with Bill Maher.

There will be a new episode of Real Time tonight. Here is a breakdown of the guest lineup.

Top-of-show interview

U.S. Representative and 2020 Democratic candidate for president Tulsi Gabbard is the top-of-show interview guest. She was last on Real Time in 2015.

Gabbard, a representative from Hawaii, is a member of the National Guard and has served in Iraq. She launched her campaign for president in Jan. 2019, becoming the third Democratic politician in office to declare her candidacy.

Gabbard is a strong critic of U.S. foreign policy with particular focus on relations with the Middle East. Expect Maher to ask her about tensions with Iran as well as American military relations with nations such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Mid-show interview

Actor, director, comedian Seth MacFarlane will be the mid-show interview guest. It will be his seventh time on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Maher always enjoys when a comedian is on the show and especially one who isn’t shy about sharing his political thoughts like MacFarlane. MacFarlane even spoke at a 2010 event giving Bill Maher a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

MacFarlane will be seen in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice starting on June 30. The show stars Russell Crowe as Fox News CEO Roger Ailes and is based on a book by Gabe Sherman. MacFarlane will play former Fox executive Brian Lewis, who was paid a hefty severance package that some called “hush money” to keep Lewis from revealing too much to Sherman.

The panel

The panel features three guests who have all made appearances on the show in the past. Here are the familar faces you’ll see tonight.

Actor and author Max Brooks is on the panel. The son of legendary comedian Mel Brooks is known for his books The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. Maher may ask Brooks to compare the current state of things to a zombie apocalypse.

Writer Adam Gopnik is also on the panel. Gopnik is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker where his recent work has focused on gun control and gun violence. In May his book A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism was published.

Rounding out the panel is Joy Reid. The television host was last on Real Time in 2017. She is a national correspondent at MSNBC as well as host of the political talk show AM Joy. Joy has been especially focused on the latest allegations of sexual misconduct against President Donald Trump, a topic that will likely be brought up on Real Time.

Real Time with Bill Maher airs tonight, June 28, at 10:00 PM ET on HBO. Follow the show on Twitter to submit a question for the panel and be sure to check in with Last Night On for the highlights.