Bill Maher says Howard Stern will ‘never leave the house’ due to germaphobia

Realnoe Vremya host Bill Maher wondered if he would ever have the opportunity to talk to Howard Stern in the post-pandemic era during a frank discussion of the legendary shock athlete’s germaphobia.

Maher discussed his rocky relationship with Stern and their different approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic while speaking with comedian Kevin Nealon on this month’s episode of his ‘Club Random’ podcast.

The HBO star said he was unsure if Stern would “ever leave the house” due to his well-documented fear of being exposed to the virus.

“I have a long, storied history, ups and downs with this man, and I am so sad these days that I cannot see him because of the pandemic. We do not agree with this,” Maher said. “Not that I think it made us different from each other.

The longstanding rivalry between the two broadcasters has cooled in recent years, to the point where Stern appeared live on the set of an episode of “Real Time” in late 2019.

Maher lamented that the pandemic interrupted their newfound friendship.

“We haven’t had a good relationship for a long time. Very bitter. And then, boy, everything changed and it just goes to show that there are some great things about the age when we get older and wiser and softer and smarter and we become such good friends again,” Maher said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever see him again because I don’t think he’ll ever leave the house because he’s very, very, look, I don’t want to judge it, but he’s afraid of germs.” he continued.

“People have different views on this, and this is acceptable. I don’t agree with some of the things he said about the pandemic, I think they were very wrong. You know, “we shouldn’t treat people who aren’t vaccinated.” Things like that,” Maher added.

Stern has been streaming his SiriusXM radio show from home throughout the pandemic and, by his own admission, has rarely ventured outside. In October 2022, Page Six reported that Stern went out to dinner with a group of friends for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Stern later described the toll this outing had on him during an episode of his show.

“I really had a tiring weekend, emotionally and physically,” Stern said. “For the first time in two years, I ventured out of the house.”

“It was too much for me. It was too much. I didn’t leave the house for two years,” Stern added.

As Maher mentioned, Stern was also an outspoken critic of anti-vaccination views and argued that COVID-19 vaccination should be mandatory.

Mediaite was the first to report Maher’s remarks.