{"id":2579999,"date":"2026-03-15T10:08:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-the-time-bill-maher-smashed-a-famous-reporter-to-smithereens-on-wokeness-your-ideas-are-stupid\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T10:09:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T14:09:47","slug":"flashback-the-time-bill-maher-smashed-a-famous-reporter-to-smithereens-on-wokeness-your-ideas-are-stupid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-the-time-bill-maher-smashed-a-famous-reporter-to-smithereens-on-wokeness-your-ideas-are-stupid\/","title":{"rendered":"Flashback: The Time Bill Maher Smashed a Famous Reporter to Smithereens on Wokeness &#8211; &#8216;Your Ideas Are Stupid&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflashback-the-time-bill-maher-smashed-a-famous-reporter-to-smithereens-on-wokeness-your-ideas-are-stupid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579999&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Western Journal reports on bill Maher\u2019s critique of woke culture at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June 2024. Maher used a incredulous, mocking tone to illustrate what he sees as the excesses of woke ideology, posing questions like abolishing the police, tearing down statues, and even giving communism another shot to highlight perceived absurdities. The piece notes that Tina Brown looked uncomfortable during the exchange, while Maher argued that the problem isn\u2019t aging but the ideas themselves. It also discusses his nuanced take on contemporary politics, acknowledging Trump\u2019s appeal while blaming woke Democrats for contributing to it, and noting his criticisms of immigration enforcement, vaccines, abortion, and Jan. 6-despite not aligning with conservative positions on everything. The article suggests Maher, though liberal, recognizes wokeism as a \u201ctotalitarian Trojan Horse\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rest-in-piss-twitter-lets-mocking-hashtags-to-trend-following-rush-limbaugh-death-as-leftists-cheer\/\" title=\"\u2018Rest In Piss\u2019: Twitter Lets Mocking Hashtags To Trend Following Rush Limbaugh Death As Leftists Cheer\">deserves credit<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >challenging liberal elites<\/a> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nbc-news-anchor-fairness-is-overrated\/\" title=\"NBC News Anchor: \u2018Fairness Is Overrated\u2019\">uncomfortable truths<\/a>. It concludes that future generations may react with disbelief at today\u2019s woke culture, but that some people have resisted it.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Assuming sanity prevails, our incredulous descendants will react to our era&rsquo;s woke madness with disbelief and even audible gasps.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, nearly two years ago, comedian and television host Bill Maher demonstrated how that reaction might sound.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m old,&rdquo; Maher said in an interview with veteran British journalist Tina Brown, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s that your ideas are stupid.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, Maher did not direct his comments toward Brown personally. Instead, he adopted a tone designed to mock young wokesters.<\/p>\n<p>That did not mean, however, that Brown embraced the interviewee&rsquo;s anti-woke argument. In fact, she looked rather uncomfortable at times.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Maher made his comments in the context of a broader discussion about then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump&rsquo;s appeal. The interview occurred at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June 2024, just before then-President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-bidens-brain-collapses-debate-trump-sounds-lost-38-second-nightmare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a> imploded on the debate stage next to Trump.<\/p>\n<p>While admitting that he would never vote for Trump, Maher did blame Trump&rsquo;s popularity on woke Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When I talk to my friends around my age &mdash; 40,&rdquo; the then-68-year-old Maher joked, drawing laughs from the audience, &ldquo;and they&rsquo;re always b***hing to me about their kids, who are like in their 20s, and they&rsquo;re like super-uber woke, and they&rsquo;re driving their parents crazy. And everything is like, &lsquo;You don&rsquo;t get it, mom. That&rsquo;s old thinking.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The comedian then threw his hands into the air and exposed the madness of woke ideology.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And I&rsquo;m like, Don&rsquo;t get what? Abolish the police? Tear down statues of Lincoln? Maybe give <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/forgotten-sermon-mlk-jr-warned-communisms-threat-christianity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">communism<\/a> another shot? Get rid of the Border Patrol? Get rid of capitalism? White supremacy has never been worse? Gender is always just a social construct? It&rsquo;s okay to have penises in the women&rsquo;s swimming pool and women&rsquo;s prisons?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Much like our incredulous descendants probably will, Maher punctuated each of those questions with a tone of disbelief, as if gasping at the foolishness of those who would answer any of them in the affirmative.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Brown smiled an uncomfortable-looking smile and squirmed a bit in her seat. After all, the liberal Aspen Institute hosted the festival.<\/p>\n<p>Readers can watch the entire interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=T_cDuvSdJEM&amp;t=846s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>. The relevant segment begins around the 13:20 mark.<\/p>\n<p>From a conservative perspective, of course, Maher has plenty of issues.<\/p>\n<p>He has, for instance, toed the Democratic Party line on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dr-phil-calls-mahers-anti-ice-nonsense-face-bullst\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">immigration enforcement<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/icymi-video-rfk-jr-pile-driving-bill-maher-vax-show-left-audience-applauding-kennedy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID vaccine<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-bill-maher-says-quiet-part-loud-abortion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">abortion<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-megyn-kelly-savagely-fact-checks-bill-maher-twice-sets-straight-trump-jan-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Capitol incursion<\/a> of Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Maher, however, does not heap mindless praise on Democrats or his fellow liberals in general. In fact, unlike most liberals, he has recognized wokeness for what it is: a totalitarian Trojan Horse.<\/p>\n<p>In short, Maher deserves credit for sharing uncomfortable truths with the liberal Aspen elites most in need of hearing them. Our descendants should at least find comfort in knowing that some people resisted the left&rsquo;s woke madness.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the provided passage:<\/p>\n<p>If people stay reasonable, future generations may look back at our era\u2019s woke culture with disbelief and even audible gasps. In fact, Bill Maher gave a glimpse of how that reaction might sound nearly two years ago during an interview with Tina Brown, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m old, it\u2019s that your ideas are stupid.\u201d He wasn\u2019t aiming at Brown personally, but was mocking younger woke critics. Brown herself did not necessarily adopt his anti-woke stance and seemed uncomfortable at times.<\/p>\n<p>The piece places Maher\u2019s comments in the broader context of the Aspen Ideas Festival in June 2024, where he discussed the appeal of then-presidential hopeful Donald Trump. While he said he wouldn\u2019t vote for Trump, Maher argued that woke Democrats were helping to fuel Trump\u2019s popularity. He joked about conversations with peers around age 40 who complain about their kids in their 20s who are \u201csuper-uber woke\u201d and \u201cdriving their parents crazy,\u201d then proceeded to question the logic of woke positions with a string of provocative hypotheticals-abolishing the police, tearing down Lincoln statues, giving communism another shot, dismantling Border Patrol, ending capitalism, asserting white supremacy has never been worse, and treating gender as purely a social construct. He punctuated each question with a sense of disbelief, as if astonished by anyone who would answer yes. Brown wore a wary smile and shifted uncomfortably, fitting for a liberal event hosted by the Aspen Institute.<\/p>\n<p>Readers are invited to watch the full interview, with the relevant segment starting around 13:20. From a conservative vantage point, Maher has his own flaws-supporting Democratic positions on immigration, vaccines, abortion, and January 6-but he also does not shower praise on Democrats or liberals in general. Unlike many liberals, he has identified woke ideas as a \u201ctotalitarian Trojan Horse.\u201d In short, he is praised here for speaking uncomfortable truths to liberal elites who need to hear them, offering some reassurance that not everyone on the left subscribes to woke mania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2580000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-11T173745.873.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69387,75833,73994,32870,50914],"class_list":["post-2579999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bill-maher-2","tag-hot-take","tag-media-controversy-2","tag-satire","tag-wokeness-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-11T173745.873.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579999"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2580003,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579999\/revisions\/2580003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}