Actor Jerry O’Connell says he’s done with podcasts after a bruising appearance on Bill Maher’s show that sparked backlash both online and at home.
The Stand by Me star opened up in a Monday episode of Maher’s Club Random podcast about a tense election-night clash with his family during the 2024 race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump—a conversation he seemed to know would land him in trouble.
“If I say this, will I stay married?” O’Connell, 52, joked before diving in.
He told Maher, 70, that as Harris’ chances slipped, he started “spitballing ideas” at home about what went wrong—criticizing the campaign’s strategy and suggesting there should have been a primary.
That didn’t go over well with wife actress Rebecca Romijn, 43, and their 18-year-old twin daughters, Charlie and Dolly O’Connell.
“My wife and daughters, without saying anything, became physical with me. They were filled with rage,” he said, describing what he framed as a heated household reaction.
The fallout, O’Connell admitted, has made him more cautious about what he says—both at home and in public.
“If I made any kind of joke, they’d become very angry with me,” he said, adding that even during the podcast he was “being careful” with his words.
Maher wasn’t having it.
“I couldn’t live that way,” the host shot back, mocking what he portrayed as O’Connell tiptoeing around his family’s politics. “Sit there and don’t say anything. Sit on your hands,” Maher said, before adding he would never “tuck my tail between my legs and just shut the f--- up.”
The exchange quickly spilled beyond the studio.
After the episode aired, O’Connell faced a wave of criticism online—prompting him to declare on X that the Maher appearance would be his “last podcast.”
“Everyone is mad at me,” he wrote in response to coverage of the interview, adding that even his family was frustrated and that he “can’t do anything right.”
As the pile-on grew louder, O’Connell jumped onto X and started firing back—replying directly to trolls mocking his Club Random appearance. When one user posted a photo of him in a helmet and dubbed him “Just another Hollywood softhead,” the actor admitted, “Okay. This one hurt.”
Another account took aim at his turbulent household dynamic, asking if he’d checked with his daughters and wife before tweeting. O’Connell didn’t dodge it.
“Yes, User28133080. They were cool with it,” he shot back.
After days of sparring with trolls and declaring that he was swearing off podcasts altogether, the actor’s hard line didn’t hold for long.
Just five hours later, O’Connell carved out another exception, jumping into the replies of Meghan McCain after she defended him and agreeing to appear on her show—adding, for emphasis, “BUT THAT IS IT.”
It still wasn’t.
Roughly an hour later, the actor made yet another carveout to his rapidly evolving guest list. Responding to a separate user to say he’d also be willing to stop by Kelly Stafford’s podcast.
Maher, meanwhile, used the conversation to revive one of his favorite critiques of Democrats: their reliance on celebrity culture.
During the interview, O’Connell described attending a Harris campaign rally featuring Megan Thee Stallion as “invigorating.” Maher wasn’t impressed.
“Democrats really need to cut loose the celebrities,” he said. “They’re not helping.”
It’s a line Maher has been hammering for months. On Real Time with Bill Maher in January, he argued that celebrity-heavy campaigns make Democrats look out of touch and ultimately play into Republican messaging.
