Real Time with Bill Maher returns at just the right time

Real Time with Bill Maher has a lot to cover in its return to HBO

If you feel like a voice has been missing in the national conversation over the past month, you’re not wrong. Bill Maher has been on his annual summer hiatus but it comes to an end tonight with Real Time with Bill Maher returns to HBO.

Fans last saw Real Time back on June 26. Maher went one-on-one with former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Typical of life in the Trump era, a lot has happened since then.

Cases of novel coronavirus continue to spike in several states, federal agents have been deployed in major cities, former Vice President Joe Biden is close to naming a running mate, and President Donald Trump has floated the idea of delaying the election.

With all this and more going on right now, Bill Maher is sure to have a lot to say. While he has been occasionally chiming in via Twitter, Real Time gives him the chance to share his thoughts on everything going on.

Maher will also have help from yet another interesting and diverse panel of guests. Here’s a breakdown of who will be on Real Time tonight.

Real Time with Bill Maher interviews Kerry Washington and Jim Carrey

Actress Kerry Washington will be the first interview for Bill Maher. It marks her fifth appearance on Real Time and first since 2016.

Washington is a producer on The Fight, a documentary examining how the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have gone up against President Trump’s administration over the past four years. The film was released in select theaters today and is also available on-demand.

Expect Washington to detail her involvement in the documentary and what she hopes audiences will learn from it. Given what is going on in Portland and what has been exposed following the death of George Floyd, The Fight is an important film and extremely relevant right now.

Another actor is set to chat with Bill Maher tonight. Jim Carrey will be interviewed as he makes his second appearance on Real Time.

Carrey is out promoting his novel Memories and Misinformation. Fans should hear Carrey and Maher reflect on life in the entertainment industry and the effects it can have on an individual. Carrey has also not been shy about his criticism of President Trump, so a political discussion is sure to be on the table as well.

Tonight’s Real Time with Bill Maher roundtable

Viewers will once again be treated to a virtual roundtable as Bill Maher continues to record from his backyard. Tonight’s panel features two returning guests.

Thomas Chatterton Williams is a journalist who can be read in New York Times Magazine and Harper’s Magazine. His 2019 book Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race is set to be published in paperback in September. Williams reflects on his racial identity as the son of a Black father and a white mother. He should share some of those thoughts and relate them to the current crisis over social justice and racial equality when he joins Maher.

Bari Weiss is a writer who has worked for The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She resigned from the NYT after the newspaper apologized from publishing a controversial op-ed from Senator Tom Cotton. Weiss criticized the paper for giving in to pressure from Twitter and was supported by Bill Maher. Tonight, expect Weiss to provide a conservative perspective to the events in Portland among other topics.

Who are you looking forward to seeing on Real Time with Bill Maher tonight? Let us know in the comment section. Real Time airs tonight at 10:00 PM ET on HBO.