Bill Maher opened Friday’s episode of Real Time by paying tribute to the late Pope Francis, while also humorously mocking Vice President JD Vance, who had met with the Pope just hours before his death.
The 88-year-old Pope had recently completed a 38-day hospital stay and was recovering from a lung infection and pneumonia. Maher joked, “He met JD for half an hour and keeled right over.”
Pope Francis passed away on Monday after suffering a stroke and subsequent heart failure. Maher reflected on his death, saying, “Sad, sad week. The pope died, fentanyl is no joke.” He also made a light-hearted remark about the Pope’s background, “Pope Francis was the first pope from South America. So he will rest for eight days at the Vatican, and then ICE will come by and ship him to El Salvador.”
The host also took the opportunity to comment on a milestone in former President Donald Trump’s term, pointing out that Wednesday marked his first 100 days in office. “It’s always a big thing when the president hits his first 100 days,” Maher said. “Time really flies when you’re in the fetal position.”
Maher then shifted to criticize the “kooky cabinet members” appointed by Trump, particularly Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The former Fox News host made headlines this week for leaking sensitive information in a Signal group chat, just weeks after facing backlash for sharing “imminent war plans” with the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
“What a scad!” Maher exclaimed about Hegseth’s latest blunder. “He was caught sharing top-secret information. Well, he did it again! He shared attack plans with his wife, his brother, and his lawyer. Pete says it’s no big deal. The brother and lawyer are totally trustworthy, and the wife doesn’t believe anything he says anyway.”
Maher also took aim at reports that Hegseth was installing a makeup room at the Pentagon. “Pete denies this. He says it’s not a makeup room,” Maher quipped. “It’s just a countertop, a tall director’s chair, a mirror, a makeup light, and a pink neon sign that says ‘You go girl!’ Other than that, it’s not a makeup room. Don’t get confused, people.”
Maher pointed out that despite the controversies, Trump’s stance remained unchanged. “Trump’s position is that he’s standing by Pete, and blaming Al Gore for inventing the internet,” Maher concluded.
Real Time with Bill Maher airs Fridays on HBO.
