Bill Maher set the record straight on what’s next for him amid the escalating collapse of late-night television.
Maher, 70, explained in an episode of his Club Random podcast published on Monday that he has no plans to slow down his late-night career, even as he acknowledged he is old enough to call it quits.
“At 70, it’s different because now, I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do. So now I’m playing with the house money,” he told media mogul and comedian Byron Allen, who took over Stephen Colbert’s CBS time slot in May. “I mean, if it all ends tomorrow, well, you know, it was a good ride.”
“People are basically retired at this point anyway,” the Mark Twain prize recipient continued. “But I don’t want to retire, and nobody who was my fan wants me to.”
The Real Time host said that despite his age, he doesn’t “feel any f--king different” than he was when he was younger, nor does he “act different.”
“I’m not married, I don’t have kids, I still drink and smoke pot, and blah, blah, blah,” he added. “It’s like, when my life changes, maybe the show or my career will change, but until it does...”
Maher’s decision to keep his late-night career going at 70 stands in stark contrast to that of other late-night legends. David Letterman retired at 68, while Johnny Carson retired even earlier at 66. Jay Leno was just 59 when he stepped down as Tonight Show host (the first time).
“There is not a time I am standing right backstage before the show starts when I don’t think to myself, enjoy this, because this is kind of what you live for,” Maher said. “This is as much fun as you’re going to have with your pants on ever.”
In January, HBO announced that it had renewed Maher’s late-night series through 2028, guaranteeing it would reach its 28th season. Real Time with Bill Maher is the network’s second-longest-running series ever, just behind Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, which aired its 29th and final season in 2023.
Other late-night heavy hitters have not been so lucky.
Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show, signed off for the final time in May after CBS canceled the program in its eleventh season.
The network announced the show’s cancellation in July 2025 shortly after Colbert criticized its parent company, Paramount, for settling a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump. However, CBS claimed the decision was due to financial reasons.
Allen filled the time slot formerly occupied by The Late Show with his series, Comics Unleashed, though it has produced lower ratings than Colbert generated toward the end of his run.
Reflecting on Colbert’s departure, Jimmy Kimmel told Vulture last month that it felt “like I’m looking at my own future.” The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host hinted that he might hang it up as well once his contract with ABC expires next May.
