Bill Maher Mocks Sean Hannity as ‘Honorary Lesbian’ for Softball Questions to Trump

Comedian Bill Maher criticized Fox News host Sean Hannity during his Real Time monologue for asking what he called “softball” questions during a recent interview with President Donald Trump.

Maher addressed Hannity’s performance on his Friday night show, highlighting Hannity’s participation in Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The comedian questioned why Hannity failed to challenge Trump on key issues during the interview.

“And I gotta say also, the right-wing media,” Maher said. “Sean Hannity was on the trip. They did an interview. I don’t want to say Sean Hannity lobs a lot of softballs, but today he was made an honorary lesbian.”

Maher also mocked Trump’s praise for Xi Jinping, quoting the president’s remarks about the Chinese leader.

“He calls him a tough cookie. He loves a tough cookie. He says, ‘He’s a great leader, I say that to everybody,’” Maher noted. “He didn’t say it to me. But, you know, maybe he did and I didn’t hear it because I was so nervous,” referencing Trump’s explanation of their now infamous dinner.

Maher continued his critique, saying,

“I’m glad our leaders of these two powerful countries with nuclear weapons aren’t fighting, but it’s getting a little – you know … You know what Trump said about Xi? If you went to Hollywood you could not find in central casting a better guy.”

These comments were made during Trump’s interview with Hannity, which aired on Fox News.

In another part of the monologue, Maher poked fun at tech executives Elon Musk and Tim Cook for attending Trump’s state trip to China.

“Very sweet moment when the CEO of Apple he saw all of the kids and said, ‘Get back to work,’” Maher quipped. “[Musk] was there in a suit! You don’t see that often. It shows the respect Elon Musk has for the Chinese leadership. And, out of respect for the one-child rule that was pillar of Chinese society for so long, while he was in China for two days, Elon only fathered one child.”

Maher also shared a humorous tweet referencing a Swiss study about Hantavirus survival in sperm, though the connection to the monologue’s main topics was unclear.

New episodes of Real Time With Bill Maher air Fridays on HBO.