Reports of Bill Maher exiting Real Time are greatly exaggerated. In fact, Maher said that HBO will have to drag him off the weekly talk show. Maher addressed the speculation on CNN’s The Lead on Friday,

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER returns for its 23rd season FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/7:00-8:00 p.m. PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

Maher lamented paying 13% of his income every year to California officials ‘who I assumed were working on things like this.’

Despite previous threats to quit, Bill Maher plans to stick by his HBO talk show until the bitter end. The Real Time host addressed speculation that he’s stepping away from the show that launched in 2003 after he previously claimed in jest that he “may quit” following Donald Trump‘s election for a second presidential term.

Comedian Bill Maher joined right-wing pundits weaponizing California wildfires to lambast the state government’s progressive-leaning policies in his Friday monologue on HBO’s Real Time. Maher prefaced his argument with,

Maher began by highlighting what he described as governmental mismanagement, emphasizing his frustration with California’s status as a “one-party state.” He criticized local fire departments for what he saw as an emphasis on diversity over firefighting,

Bill Maher appeared to essentially agree with right wingers blaming the response to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on pretty much everything they don't like about liberals during his "New Rules" monologue at the end of Friday's "Real Time.