Bill Maher defended NFL kicker Harrison Butker on Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has come under fire for misogynistic comments he made during his commencement speech at Benedictine College. Butker, a devout Christian, promoted traditional family values, encouraging women to marry and have children, stating that many women find true happiness as mothers rather than pursuing a career.
Despite the relentless backlash Butker has received, Maher isn’t sure he agrees with critics’ perception, implying the kicker’s comments are being taken out of context.
He first emphasized “how much this guy is not like me,” and noted that Butker is “religious, loves marriage, loves kids” — pretty much everything the comedian is against.
He then went on to analyze the kicker’s comment.
“I don’t understand what he said when talking to women: ‘Some of you can go on to have successful careers in the world.’ Well, that seems pretty modern,” Maher said before continuing to read an excerpt from the speech. “’But I would venture to guess that most of you are very excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.’ “I don’t see what the big crime is, I really don’t.”
Maher explained: “I think this is part of the problem people have with the left: a lot of people in this country are like that. Like I’m saying that some of you may pursue successful careers, but many of you are excited about this other way that people, you all used to be and now you can do it. Can’t that also be a choice? And I feel like they feel very burdened, like there’s only one way to be a good person and that’s to get an advanced degree from one of those shit factories like Harvard.”
You can watch the HBO host’s full comments below.
Bill Maher drops an unexpected bombshell amid leftist outrage over Harrison Butker’s speech
“I don’t see what the big crime is.”
“I really don’t. And I think this is part of the problem people have with the left… pic.twitter.com/d43KlyZJZC
– The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) May 18, 2024
Maher is not the only one who comes to the kicker’s defense. The Hunt family, owners of the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as one of the team’s stars, Chris Jones, have made comments in support of Butker.
Butker also spoke at a Catholic university, where many of the attendees shared his traditional views. Last week on the show, as he usually does, Maher criticized the media for exaggerating things.
Let us know where you stand in the comments above, and just as a reminder, you can watch new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher Fridays at 10 pm ET on HBO or streaming on Max.
