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Maher isn't funny at all, despite having a "comedy" show.
I've never found him particularly funny, but more importantly, and I say this as someone who did standup for a few years, he berates his audience when they don't laugh at his jokes. I used to watch his show, and he told his audience, "fuck you," when they didn't laugh numerous times. That is something you absolutely do not do in comedy. Even insult comics don't insult the audience for not laughing at their jokes.
If he was a jobbing stand up I'd totally agree but he's got his audience who presumably are ok with him berating them every time an undercooked joke bombs.
He was still touring last I checked, although admittedly that was 4 or 5 years ago.
Oh sure. I remember him saying that his crowd is turning up to see him specifically though, they know who he is and that he throws a tantrum if the laugh isn't big enough. He's not sharing a bill or playing to anyone who doesn't want to see him.
There are ways to insult an audience - Jeselnik does this well. Maher used to operate more in this fashion in the early-mid 00s. He really fell off during/after Obama though
Stewart Lee did it too, but I think it only works when the audience is 'in' on the joke -- that is, they are expected to realise that the insult to the audience is itself a joke, rather than the comic actually meaning it.
And Maher definitely means it. It's really obvious.
There are ways to insult an audience - Jeselnik does this well. Maher used to operate more in this fashion in the early-mid 00s. He really fell off during/after Obama though
His role is an establishment lap dog for two minutes hate