During a conversation about free speech with actress Drew Barrymore, Maher said it had become less “dangerous” to speak out on controversial issues as there had been a cultural “vibe shift” against woke-ism over the past two years. But he confessed he still feared that his everyday conversations in public could be used against him to end his career.<\/p>\n
“We did have a vibe change because the Democrats lost so badly in 2024. The blush is off the rose on left-wing censorship and \u2018Oh my God, you can\u2019t say that.\u2019 Stop telling me what I can do. What I can say. What I can think. Who my heroes are supposed to be. Just get the f— off me. That is what\u2019s viscerally going on with me when I have issues with the left,” Maher said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Barrymore praised him for his boldness and asked him if there was anything that still “scares” him.<\/p>\n MAHER CALLS OUT SNL FOR ‘ZOMBIE LIE’ THAT REPUBLICANS ARE RACIST, WARNS THEY ARE ‘NOT HELPING’<\/a><\/p>\n Bill Maher talks to Drew Barrymore during his “Club Random” podcast. (ClubRandom)<\/p>\n “Oh, what scares me is… at any moment, you can like say something that, really in private conversation, wouldn’t upset anybody. Yes. But these snitches and b—-es will be able to use it to attack and end you, which they did once on \u2018Politically Incorrect,\u2019” he said.<\/p>\n “When I go out\u2026 it\u2019s unlikely anything is going to happen that would end my career, but it is possible.”<\/p>\n Maher explained how he carried this “paranoia” with him constantly. Although it wasn\u2019t as severe as other problems people face, he said it wasn\u2019t insignificant.<\/p>\n “I’m always… and now it’s like a running joke because you know, ‘Did anything bad happen?’ Like that sort of paranoia. No. Is it as bad as things other people go through? No. But living with that paranoia is not nothing,” he lamented.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE<\/a><\/p>\n HBO\u2019s “Real Time” host Bill Maher described his “paranoia” about getting canceled, during a podcast interview with guest and actress Drew Barrymore. (REUTERS\/Phil McCarten)<\/p>\n “I don\u2019t feel guilty saying that\u2019s a complaint I have about life. Everybody has their complaints. That’s one of mine. Is it as bad as starving? No. But it\u2019s not nothing. It kind of sucks that you can\u2019t pull into the driveway without having a peaceable night at dinner without thinking, \u2018Did anything bad happen?\u2019”<\/p>\n The “Real Time” host previously opened up about his worries about getting canceled<\/a> in a 2023 CNN interview.<\/p>\n “It just makes me laugh when people say to me, \u2018You know, you\u2019re uncancellable.\u2019 Are you kidding? In two seconds, I could get canceled. Anybody could,” he told the news outlet.<\/p>\n Maher faced backlash for controversial remarks following 9\/11<\/a>, and ABC canceled “Politically Incorrect” the following year amid declining advertiser support.<\/p>\n![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/bill-maher-drew-barrymore-club-random.jpg\")
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