Bill Maher Reminds Americans That Their Opinions Are Not Necessary This Thanksgiving

Last night on HBO‘s Real Time with Bill Maher, the host used his weekly “New Rules” segment to share a message with Americans: nobody needs to hear your opinion on every major issue that’s going on in the world.

“Especially if you don’t know what the f– you’re talking about.” he insisted. “And if you’re getting your facts from TikTok and Instagram and Facebook, I don’t want to hear your hot take on asymmetrical warfare, because there’s a term for someone who gets their news from Facebook: Mom.”

“You know, among the worst things that social media ever did was it made everyone feel they had to weigh in on every controversial issue or breaking news story, and that’s my job,” joked the comedian.

“But has anyone noticed that the more time everyone spends telling everyone else their political positions… the more we’ve been at each other’s throats?” Maher asked, adding, “here’s a trend I would love to see on Twitter: #NoOpinion.”

“This Thursday is Thanksgiving, the cherished yearly celebration when distant friends and scattered family members gathered together to fight about Donald Trump. The other butterball,” he continued. “Not just Trump. We will also argue about abortion, and critical race theory, and guns and prisons and schools. And this year, we’re fighting about Israel. But here’s the thing: You’re not actually legally obliged to have an opinion.”

He then joked that “the Indians and the pilgrims were able to sit peaceably through the first Thanksgiving because nobody brought up politics, even though I’m sure the Indians had strong feelings about immigration.”

Maher also reminded viewers that NBA legend Michael Jordan famously avoided politics in the 1990s because “Republicans buy sneakers too.”

He thanked “big brother” for changing everything and making people feel the need to “participate in this online circle jerk or you’ll be or you will be seen as an insensitive prick who’s single handedly obstructing much needed progress in the world.”

He talked about the Chick-Fil-A topic as just one example. “Why did I ever need to know that Chick-Fil-A is chicken that’s Christian? Can it just be chicken? This is unsustainable,” he said. “We don’t all agree and never will. And most people don’t want to be forced to say anything.”

Maher concluded his rant by vowing: “This Thanksgiving, I’m going to make beer can chicken with Budweiser and Chick-Fil-A, and anybody who doesn’t like it can f—themselves.”

You can check out the clip above and catch new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.