By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

Bill Maher, host of HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, is getting considerable media attention these days for his outspoken views on political issues as well as his new book, ‘What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.’ With the controversial comedian in the news, I thought it would be interesting to share my two personal run-ins with Maher in the 1990s when I was editor of two TV magazines. Both encounters highlight how Maher is unafraid of taking stands — or taking over a bus filled with Super Bowl attendees.

What? Yes, that’s right.

The time was January 31, 1999. The place: Miami, Florida. The Denver Broncos had just defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. I was among several dozen journalists and semi-celebrities who were invited to attend the game by the NFL. (I paid for my ticket, FYI.) As part of the experience, we would be bused from our hotel to the game and then back to the hotel after it was over. When the game ended, we wearily started to trek back to the buses in the parking lot. It was a long day. The NFL bus took us to the game several hours before kickoff and I think we were all anxious to get back to our rooms.

When the bus started to leave the stadium area, I noticed Maher was in the second row behind the bus driver. I was a row back on the left side of the bus. Like many on the bus, I tried to get a few winks during the 30-minute ride back to the hotel. But after about 20 minutes, we all started to notice that we weren’t getting any closer to the part of Miami where our hotels were. The bus driver seemed to be going aimlessly around south Florida.

“Hey, do you know where you’re going?” Maher yelled at the driver.

If any of us had actually succumbed to sleep, that was the end of that.

“Hey, where are we?” Maher yelled again. But the driver did not respond.

I had never seen a bus passenger engage in a dialogue with the driver before, particularly regarding his or her driving practices, so this was starting to get interesting.

And then Maher got up from his seat and walked up to the driver.

“Where are we?” he demanded to know.

The driver seemed like he was trying to ignore him, but Maher then knelt down by his side and started peppering him questions. “Are we lost?” “Have you ever driven this way before?” “What town are we in?”

Finally, Maher, visibly frustrated, started to tell the driver which way to go.

And that’s when it really got interesting.

David Alan Grier, one of the stars of the Fox comedy show, In Living Color, who was sitting in the row behind me, started to heckle Maher.

“What do you know about driving a bus, Bill?! You’re a comedian!” Grier yelled, laughing.

Maher looked back in the direction of Grier with an angry look on his face while continuing to tell the driver which turns to take. But Grier wouldn’t let up and soon he was joined by others on the bus who began mocking Maher and telling him to sit down.

But to Maher’s credit, he didn’t take heed and kept advising the driver how to navigate the Florida roads. And lo and behold, we actually got back on the right course and arrived at the hotel area, albeit 30 minutes later than normal. Whatever Maher said must have been right.

Prologue as Epilogue
This was not the first time I had a personal experience with Bill Maher. A few years later, as editor of Satellite DIRECT magazine, I interviewed him (by phone) about his show, Politically Incorrect, which was then on Comedy Central. During the Q&A, I asked him who was funnier: Jay Leno or David Letterman? I didn’t expect him to pick one. Leno and Letterman were the kings of late-night TV then and choosing one over another could jeopardize Maher’s chances of being booked on the show. But again, to Maher’s credit, he said…Letterman.

I wrote the article, and when it was published, I issued a press release on the magazine’s contents, including Maher’s comment that he thought Letterman was funnier than Leno. The release was picked up by several publications, including USA Today.

Oops. I soon got a call from Comedy Central’s PR team, alerting me that Maher was pissed. Very pissed. “He didn’t think you were going to do a press release on it and play it up,” the PR person told me. “Leno is not going to be happy with him.”

I didn’t hear from Maher, however, and I thought the kerfuffle was over until I ran into him several months later in the press room during the night of the Emmy Awards. I went up to him, introduced myself, and shook his hand. He didn’t make the connection. So I said, “I’m sorry if you had any problem with our interview about who was funnier, Leno or Letterman.”

His face froze. “Right,” he said. “Good talking to you.” And he started to back up, slowly but surely, to rejoin his date.

And that was the last time I ever talked to him.

Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.