Real Time with Bill Maher: Season 23
Season 23 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Real Time with Bill Maher Season 22.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 23 Progress Shield
January 17, 2025: Rick Caruso, Larry Wilmore, Erin Perrine
Jan 17, 2025 · 57 min
Guests: An interview with Rick Caruso, Los Angeles civic leader and the founder of the real estate company Caruso. This week's panel discussion includes Larry Wilmore, producer, ac
January 24, 2025: Jesse Eisenberg, Rep. Ro Khanna, Stephen A. Smith
Jan 24, 2025 · 57 min
Guests: An interview with Jesse Eisenberg, award-winning actor and filmmaker who wrote, directed, and co-starred in the comedy-drama film "A Real Pain." This week's panel discussio
January 31, 2025: Peggy Noonan, Max Brooks, Dan Jones
Jan 31, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Peggy Noonan, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist at The Wall Street Journal, former special assistant and speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, and auth
February 7, 2025: Chris Hayes, Rep. Byron Donalds, Tara Palmeri
Feb 7, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Chris Hayes, Emmy® Award-winning host of MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" and author of "The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endanger
February 14, 2025: Kid Rock, Tim Ryan, Pamela Paul
Feb 14, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Kid Rock, musician and entertainer who will be going on tour in March and will also be joining the "Rock The Country" festival in April. This week's panel
February 28, 2025: Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Rahm Emanuel, Fareed Zakaria
Feb 28, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Hon. Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Prime Minister of Canada candidate. This week's panel discussion includes Rahm Emanuel,
March 7, 2025: David Sedaris, Jon Tester, Alyssa Farah Griffin
Mar 7, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with David Sedaris, best-selling author and humorist who will begin a 40-city tour across the U.S. on March 30. This week's panel discussion includes Jon Teste
March 14, 2025: Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sam Stein, Batya Ungar-Sargon
Mar 14, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro. This week's panel discussion includes Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark and MSNBC contribu
March 21, 2025: Dana Carvey, Ezra Klein, Andrew Sullivan
Mar 21, 2025 · 57 min
Guests: An interview with comedian, actor, producer, and co-host of the podcast "Fly on the Wall" with David Spade, Dana Carvey. This week's panel discussion includes Ezra Klein, h
March 28, 2025: Gov. Gavin Newsom, John McWhorter, Rikki Schlott
Mar 28, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic governor of California and host of the new podcast "This is Gavin Newsom." This week's panel discussion includes John McWhor
April 11, 2025: Steve Bannon, Piers Morgan, Josh Rogin
Apr 11, 2025 · 58 min
Guests: An interview with Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and host of the podcast "Bannon's War Room." This week's panel discussion includes Piers Morgan, New Yor
April 18, 2025: Douglas Murray, Matt Welch, Sen. Tina Smith
Apr 18, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Douglas Murray, New York Times bestselling author of the new book "On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization." This week's pan
April 25, 2025: Al Gore, Sen. Adam Schiff, Bret Stephens
Apr 25, 2025 · 57 min
Guests: An interview with Al Gore, former vice president under Bill Clinton, environmentalist, and co-founder of The Climate Reality Project. This week's panel discussion includes
May 2, 2025: Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Kara Swisher, Kevin McCarthy
May 2, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, actors and comedic duo who are the subjects of the documentary "Cheech & Chong's Last Movie." This week's panel discussion i
May 9, 2025: David Hogg, Donna Brazile, Rep. Mike Lawler
May 9, 2025 · 58 min
Guests: An interview with David Hogg, vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and co-founder of the Leaders We Deserve PAC. This week's panel discussion includes Donna Braz
May 16, 2025: Stanley A. McChrystal, Scott Jennings, Peter Hamby
May 16, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Stanley A. McChrystal, retired four-star Army general and author of the book "On Character: Choices That Define a Life." This week's panel discussion incl
May 30, 2025: Barry Diller, Jake Tapper, Rep. Seth Moulton
May 30, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Barry Diller, co-founder of Fox Broadcasting, chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group, and author of the book "Who Knew." This week's panel
June 6, 2025: Whitney Cummings, Jonah Goldberg, Stephanie Ruhle
Jun 6, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Whitney Cummings, comedian, writer, producer, host of the podcast "Good For You," who is currently touring nationwide with her latest stand-up show "Big B
June 13, 2025: Sen. John Fetterman, Ian Bremmer, Rutger Bregman
Jun 13, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Sen. John Fetterman, Democratic senator from Pennsylvania. This week's panel discussion includes Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the Eurasia Group a
June 20, 2025: Dave Barry, Paul Begala, Rep. Wesley Hunt
Jun 20, 2025 · 60 min
This week marks the 700th episode of REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER and features an interview with Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist and author of the new book "Class C
August 1, 2025: Tristan Harris, James Kirchick, Rep. Jason Crow
Aug 1, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and co-host of the podcast "Your Undivided Attention." This week's panel discussion include
August 8, 2025: George F. Will, Dr. Phil McGraw, Stephen A. Smith
Aug 8, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post and political commentator George F. Will. This week's panel discussion includes Dr. Phil McGraw,
August 15, 2025: Thomas Chatterton Williams, Walter Kirn, Molly Jong-Fast
Aug 15, 2025 · 58 min
Guests: An interview with Thomas Chatterton Williams, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of "Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse." This
August 22, 2025: Andrew Huberman, Frank Bruni, Christopher Rufo
Aug 22, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Andrew Huberman, associate professor at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the podcast "Huberman Lab." This week's panel discussion includes Frank Br
September 5, 2025: Steven Pinker, Kaitlan Collins, Stephen Moore
Sep 5, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Steven Pinker, professor and author of the forthcoming book "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Powe
September 12, 2025: Charlie Sheen, Tim Alberta, Ben Shapiro
Sep 12, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Charlie Sheen, actor and subject of the new two-part documentary "aka Charlie Sheen" on Netflix, and author of the new book "The Book of Sheen: A Memoir."
September 19, 2025: Tom Homan, Alex Wagner, Joe Manchin
Sep 19, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: Alex Wagner - MSNBC Senior Political Analyst and a contributor to the Pod Save America podcast; Joe Manchin - Former Democratic Senator from West Virginia, whose new book i
September 26, 2025: Aiden Walker, Michael Smerconish, Rep. Nancy Mace
Sep 26, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Aiden Walker, content creator, internet culture researcher, and author of the Substack newsletter "How To Do Things With Memes." This week's panel discuss
October 3, 2025: Louis C.K., Van Jones, Thomas Friedman
Oct 3, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with Louis C.K., Emmy® Award-winning writer, actor, director, comedian, and author of the upcoming novel "Ingram." This week's panel discussion includes Van Jo
October 17, 2025: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Mark Cuban
Oct 17, 2025 · 60 min
Guests: An interview with actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. This week's panel discussion includes Andrew Ross Sorkin, host of CNBC's "Squawk Box" and
October 24, 2025: Gov. Andy Beshear, Michael Steele, Kate Bedingfield
Oct 24, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Democratic governor of Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear. This week's panel discussion includes Michael Steele, former RNC Chairman and Lt. Governor of Maryland
October 31, 2025: Dan Farah, Michael Moynihan, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
Oct 31, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Dan Farah, writer, producer, and director of the documentary "The Age of Disclosure." This week's panel discussion includes Michael Moynihan, co-host of "
November 7, 2025: Kenny Chesney, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Bill O'Reilly
Nov 7, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with country music singer-songwriter Kenny Chesney, who enters the Country Music Hall of Fame this year and co-authored the new book "Heart Life Music." This w
November 14, 2025: Scott Galloway, Fareed Zakaria, Josh Barro
Nov 14, 2025
Guests: An interview with Scott Galloway, professor at NYU's Stern School of Business and bestselling author of the new book "Notes on Being a Man." This week's panel discussion in
November 21, 2025: Mel Robbins, Michael "Killer Mike" Render, Donna Brazile
Nov 21, 2025 · 59 min
Guests: An interview with Mel Robbins, host of "The Mel Robbins Podcast" and author of the bestselling book "The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't