Why did Bill Maher get canceled on ABC? Career explored amid Matt Gaetz interview

Comedian and writer Bill Maher is again making headlines for a seemingly controversial interview with Matt Gaetz. In HBO's Club Random with Bill Maher podcast, Maher addressed Gaetz's s*x scandal. However, this is not the first time he has come under such light. For the unversed, Maher's show was cancelled more than two decades back on ABC.

A few months after the 9/11 terrorist attack, Maher's comments about the incident sparked controversy. Following his comments, ABC's parent company Disney cancelled the show. Moreover, according to ABC, Maher issued an apology claiming that his views on the incident should have been "expressed differently." The statement read,

"In no way was I intending to say, nor have I ever thought, that the men and women who defend our nation in uniform are anything but courageous and valiant, and I offer my apologies to anyone who took it wrong."

What did Bill Maher say on Politically Incorrect?

Bill Maher was the host of the ABC show Politically Incorrect, which aimed to bring people together to discuss the day's topic. The guests were from all walks of life, including sports, entertainment, and politics. In one episode, conservative author Dinesh D'Souza, responded to George W Bush's contention that the terrorists involved in the attack were "cowards." D'Souza disagreed and said,

"One of the themes we hear constantly is that the people who did this are cowards."

"Not true. You have a whole bunch of guys who were willing to give their life. None of 'em backed out. All of them slammed themselves into pieces of concrete."

While Maher agreed with D'Souza, his further comments came out to be controversial and became a talking point for the entire country. He said,

"We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away."

"That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building—say what you want about it, it's not cowardly," Maher added.

Bill Maher's interview with Matt Gaetz explained

Bill Maher, who is now associated with HBO, recently interviewed Matt Gaetz, a former US representative, and talked about President Donald Trump's plan to acquire Greenland.

Maher made some jokes about the acquisition plan while discussing it with Gaetz. At one point in the interview, he addressed Gaet's alleged s*x scandal in which he allegedly paid a total of $90,000 to multiple women and a 17-year-old girl to have s*xual intercourse with him. Maher said,

"I don't know what you heard about me. Remember that one? But a b**** can't get a dollar out of me. Well, that doesn't apply to you. Sorry, I didn't mean to go there."

Gaetz later addressed the recent alleged case against Skip Bayless.

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During the initial years of his career, Maher was the host of the NYC comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979. He later appeared on David Letterman and Johnny Carson's shows in the early 1980s. After making several brief television appearances, he became the host of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher in 1993. While the show ran on Comedy Central for a few years, it was later taken over by ABC from 1997 to 2002.