Bill Maher is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. Maher is known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, political correctness and the mass media. His critical views of religion were the basis for the 2008 documentary film Religulous. He is a supporter of animal rights, having served on the board of PETA since 1997,and is an advisory board member of Project Reason. Maher supports the legalization of cannabis, serving on the advisory board of NORML.

In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star on September 14, 2010.[10] In 2014, Maher won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work as executive producer for Vice.