William "Bill" Maher, Jr. (; born January 20, 1956) is an
American stand-up comedian,
television host,
social and political commentator, and
author. Before his present role as host of
HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar
late-night talk show called
Politically Incorrect on
Comedy Central and later on
ABC.
Maher is known for his
political satire and sociopolitical commentary. His commentaries target a wide swath of topics:
right wing politics,
bureaucracies of many kinds,
political correctness, the
mass media, and persons in positions of high political and social power, among many others. He supports the legalization of
marijuana and
gay marriage and serves on the board of
PETA.
[Quotes on marriage at unmarriedamerica.org][Interview with Larry King, 9-28-03] He is also an outspoken critic of
religion and is an advisory board member of
The Reason Project. Maher is number 38 on
Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-ups of all time.
