What To Know
- Bill Maher criticized immigrants who refuse to adopt core liberal values.
- He highlighted LGBTQ+ rights, women’s equality, and the separation of religion and state as fundamental American principles that must be upheld by all, regardless of cultural background.
- Maher argued that rejecting practices like homophobia and religious extremism is not about enforcing “white values,” but about preserving hard-won liberal values essential to American identity.
Bill Maher just issued a scathing takedown of immigrants refusing to adopt “liberal values.”
On the Friday, August 14 episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, the late-night host, 70, declared, “If you want the American Dream, you have to take the American values.” This was the topic of his “New Rule” segment.
“Something has changed in the equation. Now, most immigrants still want to assimilate. But some now have this other attitude of melting pot,” Maher pointed out, before exclaiming, “F*** you, you melt!”
“Look, you don’t have to love everything about America. We don’t. That’s why Yelp was invented,” he explained. “That’s why Yelp was invented. But, you know, if you do get past ICE, America’s actually pretty cool. We say you do you. Eat the food your grandma cooked. Speak another language at home. Celebrate religious holidays. We welcome your food, your art, your fashion, your First Ladies.”
That’s when Maher said, “But you have to answer one question: Do you like Western civilization? Because that’s what we are. And that’s not negotiable.”
He proceeded to ask his audience, “Do you think gay rights is one of our values that’s non-negotiable?” to which they loudly cheered and clapped.
As an example, Maher brought up a liberal Democrat from Seattle, Melissa Chaudhry, who is running for Congress, omitted LGBTQ+ rights from the causes she supports. “Because a lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,” she said.
After asking if it’s the new normal for progressive policy to “throw gay people under the bus anytime it clashes with what makes Muslims uncomfortable,” Maher proclaimed, “How about homophobia: we just don’t do that here before joking, “We will make you bake a wedding cake.”
Maher also quoted political activist Linda Sarsour: “Our number one… priority is… our community. It is not to assimilate.”
“OK, but that’s not really how immigration works,” he said. “If I move to Japan, I don’t get to say, ‘OK, everybody. A couple of changes. First of all, shoes stay on in the house now. Also, no more tentacle porn, that’s gone.’”
Maher continued, “Honor killings, not letting women show their faces, polygamy, cousin f***ing, female genital mutilation — there’s lots of stuff we don’t do here. And it’s non-negotiable. And it’s not ‘white values.’ These are liberal values. People fought and died to establish them. And it’s not racist to say if you want to come here to help form a more perfect union, great. But some things are too fundamental to change.”
He mentioned the separation of religion and state, noting, “And I would say the same thing to Christian nationalists.” The stand-up comedian added, “Democracy, not theocracy. Free speech, even about religion. Equal rights for women, LGBT — that’s America.”
To conclude his thoughts on Muslim immigrants progressive policy, Maher shared, “Now, you can, and I’m sure some of you are screaming, ‘Islamophobia!’ But that’s just a bulls*** word to cow people into not talking about this. This has nothing to do with non-whites becoming the majority. I don’t give a s*** about that. I don’t give a s*** about colors. White people — they’re white, they’re not pandas. I care about liberal values being replaced by illiberal ones.”
Real Time With Bill Maher, Fridays at 10/9c, HBO