Bill Maher’s Leavitt Interview Goes Awkward on ‘Real Time’

WHO:

Variety - Bill Maher is a 70-year-old HBO host and the host of “Real Time.”

Yahoo - Maher interviewed Karoline Leavitt, whom the article identifies as Trump’s former press secretary; she left the post in August.

Variety - Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith were also guests at a White House dinner with President Trump.

Yahoo - Leavitt said she had told President Trump she was appearing on Maher’s show. She quoted him as saying, “Tell him he loved that dinner and he knows it.”

Yahoo - Leavitt said her children were 2 years old and six months old.

Yahoo - Leavitt said she would start as a Fox News pundit on Nov. 1.

Yahoo - Leavitt’s successor was identified as Katie Zacharia.

WHAT:

Variety - Trump told reporters that Maher’s criticisms of him on his late-night program were mostly bluster and said he “likes me a lot more than people understand.”

Yahoo - In his opening monologue on “Real Time,” Maher referred to a four-hour dinner with Trump, saying, “Yeah, I did it again, bitches,” and, “You know what? Fuck you. I like these dinners.”

Yahoo - Maher had previously criticized Leavitt after she defended Trump shouting “Quiet, piggy!” at Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey.

Yahoo - Leavitt described Trump’s remark as “admirable” and “the president being frank, open, and honest”; Maher joked, “Well, in that case: Shut up, bitch.”

Yahoo - During the interview, Maher asked why Leavitt left her job and what she would do next. She said she left to care for her children.

Yahoo - Maher joked that Trump wanted to turn the White House press pool into an actual swimming pool.

Yahoo - Maher said, “I like the ballroom! America does need a ballroom. It’s the United States of America.”

Yahoo - Leavitt touted Trump’s war with Iran. Maher did not ask follow-up questions, according to the article.

Yahoo - Maher said Trump “gets it” and responded to Leavitt calling Trump “far more sane than the last [president]” and the previous president “a mental patient” with, “He’s far more energetic.”

WHERE:

Variety - The dinner with Trump took place at the White House.

Yahoo - Leavitt’s reported exchange with Trump about Maher’s show concerned the dinner.

WHEN:

Yahoo - Leavitt said she would begin her Fox News pundit role on Nov. 1.

Yahoo - Maher discussed the dinner and interviewed Leavitt on Friday night.

WHY:

Yahoo - Leavitt said she left the press secretary position to take care of her two young children.

HOW:

Yahoo - The interview took place on Maher’s HBO program “Real Time.”

(UPDATED October 24, 2026 08:01 UTC)

Bill Maher welcomed Karoline Leavitt to HBO’s “Real Time,” where the former White House press secretary explained she left the job to care for her two young children. She said President Trump knew she would appear on Maher’s show, and quoted him saying, “Tell him he loved that dinner and he knows it.” Maher had attended a four-hour White House dinner with Trump, alongside Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith. In his monologue, Maher said he liked the dinners, while Trump told reporters Maher’s on-air criticism was mostly bluster and that he liked him more than people understood. Maher also challenged Leavitt’s defense of Trump’s “Quiet, piggy!” remark to a reporter, joking, “Shut up, bitch.” Leavitt praised Trump’s handling of the war with Iran, and Maher offered no follow-up questions. She said she begins as a Fox News pundit on Nov. 1, succeeding Katie Zacharia.