Bill Maher Calls For NPR To Lose Federal Funding

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher took aim at National Public Radio (NPR) and its CEO, Katherine Maher, during a recent episode of HBO’s Real Time, echoing Republican efforts to eliminate federal funding for public media. Maher mocked Katherine Maher’s assertion that NPR operates with editorial neutrality, retorting, “Give me a break, lady,” and labeling the outlet as “crazy far left.”

He argued that the time for government-subsidized news is over, pointing to increased political polarization. According to Maher, such funding made sense in an era when bipartisan cooperation was more common—an era he believes is long gone, wrote The Hill.

Wow, even Bill Maher knows that NPR and PBS are far-left radical outlets.

You know it's bad when even he can't defend them.

"I mean, they’re crazy far-left." pic.twitter.com/oyOaZxf4c5

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) March 30, 2025

The comedian’s critique followed a recent House Oversight subcommittee hearing where executives from NPR and PBS defended their editorial independence against sharp criticism from GOP lawmakers in which Maher embarrassed herself.

Katherine Maher ran Wikimedia before she was CEO of NPR.

This woman has spent two decades deciding what information you get to see on the worlds largest internet encyclopedia and on Americas National Public Radio.pic.twitter.com/u5G6QfYloz

— Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) March 26, 2025

Representative James Comer of Kentucky accused NPR of spreading misinformation while relying on taxpayer money. Katherine Maher, who became NPR’s CEO in 2023 after a career that included a leadership role at Wikipedia, admitted the network mishandled coverage of the 2020 election, particularly in its limited reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop controversy.

Former President Donald Trump reignited his long-standing campaign to defund public broadcasters, using his Truth Social platform to call NPR and PBS “horrible and completely biased” and urging Republican lawmakers to block their funding. Despite the political rhetoric, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that public support for continued federal funding remains substantial, with 43% of Americans favoring the current levels and only 24% supporting defunding.

In a surprising twist, Maher, who has often criticized Trump, revealed plans to have dinner with the former president. Although he made it clear that he’s not about to don a MAGA hat, he framed the meeting as a step toward open, civil conversation. “It probably will accomplish very little, but you got to try, man,” he said.

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