On Monday, July 16, 2026, talk show host Bill Maher criticized wealthy celebrities for being out of touch during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite their public claims of struggling alongside everyday Americans.

During an episode of his "Club Random" podcast, Maher spoke with media mogul Byron Allen about their preference for living in houses rather than apartment buildings, which require sharing walls with neighbors. Allen noted that many New Yorkers fled the city during the pandemic for locations such as Aspen or the Hamptons if they could afford to do so. "I don't want to speak for all New Yorkers, but they definitely started to agree with us when COVID hit," Allen said.

Maher used this as an example of how the rhetoric from wealthy liberals during the pandemic did not align with their actual behavior. He expressed frustration with the repeated media messaging of "We're all in it together," pointing out that "Half of us are getting food delivered by the other half. And you're the half that's sitting home in your pajamas talking about how much we're all in it together."

He further called out celebrities as "posers," accusing them of preaching solidarity while physically distancing themselves in affluent areas. Maher's comments underscore a perceived disconnect between celebrity messaging and the lived realities of many Americans during the pandemic.

Sources