During Real Time with Bill Maher's more than two decades on the air, the talk show has made a mark on the television and pop culture landscape. One of the reasons that is the case is because Bill Maher has made some remarkable remarks that have garnered headlines, like when he compared Donald Trump to Taylor Swift. Another factor in the show's longevity has been the fact that it has welcomed a long list of celebrity guests.
While considering the future of Real Time with Bill Maher, there is no way to know who will appear on the show. Maher has even expressed an interest in welcoming a celebrity he'd been hard on in the past on his talk show. What does seem clear, however, is that future guests should try to be prepared to have an intense experience, given how traumatizing someone revealed Real Time with Bill Maher can be.
Meghan McCain revealed how traumatizing Real Time with Bill Maher can be
On June 19, 2009, an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher aired that featured Meghan McCain, Paul Begala, Hooman Majd, Katty Kay, and Joel Stein. That was the one and only time that McCain would appear on HBO's talk show. Recently, it was revealed that there is a very good reason for that since McCain really didn't enjoy her experience on Maher's late-night show.
Many years later, on Dec. 2, 2025, an episode of the "Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain" podcast was released with Scott Jennings as a guest. During the podcast episode, McCain reflected on how deeply her one Real Time with Bill Maher experience affected her in the aftermath of the episode airing in 2009. Then, McCain explained that she still felt somewhat intimidated by one of her fellow guests more than a decade and a half later.
“[The] one and only time I went on Bill Maher—I’ll never do it again. Literally, I was so traumatized from it. It went mega viral back when things could actually go viral because there were so few outlets on the internet, and Paul Begala is schooling the living s--t out of me. I cried afterward. It was a mess, like a horrible… and I’m still kind of scared of Paul Begala. Like, I still—if I were in a room with him, I would be like, very…”
Of course, it is awful that McCain was so upset by her Real Time with Bill Maher experience. However, learning that she is still so affected by the time she appeared on Maher's show is somewhat surprising given the other events of her career.
During McCain's years as a The View co-host, she memorably had many onscreen arguments with her co-workers and guests. Many of those interactions seem very tame when compared to footage of her Real Time with Bill Maher appearance that may feature the moment that still haunts McCain. As a result, it seems surprising that McCain is still so bothered by her onscreen argument with Begala.