Bill Maher jokes about ‘Overtime’ debut on CNN: ‘Are they crazy?’

Longtime HBO host Bill Maher feigned shock when his post-Overtime segment debuted as a standalone program on CNN.

“Overtime,” a spin-off segment in which Maher and his weekly HBO “Real Time” guests answer audience questions, first aired at 11:30 p.m. ET as part of last Friday’s CNN Tonight.

“Are we really on CNN right now? CNN, are they crazy for putting us there?” Maher said. “No, I’m delighted. The world needs a good CNN, so I’m very happy that we can help in any way we can.”

CNN announced last week that “Overtime” will air weekly on Friday’s prime time. The network said at the time that the Overtime installation “joins several other recent partnerships between HBO and CNN.”

HBO and CNN share the same parent company, Warner Bros. Opening.

Prior to its debut on CNN, Overtime aired as a download on YouTube and as an optional feature on the HBO Max streaming service.

A longtime critic of conservative politics, Maher has gained more supporters in recent years, calling for a “wake up” within the Democratic Party on issues such as the “abolition of culture” and education.

CNN’s decision to air “Overtime” drew a sharp response from critics on the left. One detractor, Young Turks host Cenk Uygur, accused Maher of “supporting right-wing culture war theses” and “a smug face.”

The CNN debut was approximately 10 minutes long and featured Maher alongside New York Times columnist Bret Stevens, Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-R), and former Minneapolis police chief Medaria Arradondo.

During the segment, the guests discussed police brutality in the aftermath of Tyre Nichols’ murder, as well as the Democratic Party’s efforts to reach out to voters, among other things.

CNN is in the midst of an overhaul by network president Chris Licht, who has sought to steer the traditionally left-wing channel toward centrist, non-partisan programming since he took office last year.

Semafor reported last month that Licht was trying to hire a late-night comedian to help boost CNN’s daily prime-time ratings. Maher, John Stewart, Trevor Noah and Arsenio Hall were among the names proposed for the concert.

“They’re looking for their version of John Oliver,” a source told Semafor, referring to the British comedian who has his own show on HBO.