Bill Maher argues canceled stars like Louis CK, Kevin Spacey should be let out of 'show business jail'

Comedian Bill Maher defended his decision to invite embattled comic Louis C.K. to his recent Mark Twain Prize ceremony, declaring that canceled stars should not face a lifetime ban from the entertainment industry.

Speaking with NPR’s "Newsmakers" podcast, the host of HBO’s "Real Time" argued that the court of public opinion frequently ignores the rule of law. He pointed to his recent interviews with actors Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen, and insisted society needs to recognize when someone has done their time.

"People just want to believe what they want to believe. So, when the jury comes in on the side you like, 'Oh, perfect. The jury spoke.' But when they don't, it's like, 'Oh, no, screw that. Forget it. I don’t care about the police investigations. I don’t care about the exonerations,’" Maher said.

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"Either the law means something or it doesn’t. You know, and not every punishment should be forever. Have some grace," he added.

On June 28, Maher received the 27th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a Kennedy Center ceremony that featured a lineup of high-profile guests including Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Matt Friend, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, John Mellencamp and Stephen A. Smith. The event is set to stream on Netflix on July 21.

His inclusion of disgraced comedian Louis C.K. sparked questions from the NPR interviewer. In 2017, C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct allegations after several female comedians accused him of exposing himself and masturbating in front of them or over the phone without their consent in a New York Times article. His actions did not result in criminal charges.

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Maher defended C.K., arguing he has already faced public cancellation for nearly a decade and has served his time in "show business jail." C.K. has returned to Netflix with a new comedy special, "Ridiculous."

"Anyone who's still mad at that, you know, has no concept of appropriate punishment. Like we do it in the law. Not everything is a hanging offense. If you're in show business jail for 10 years, maybe that's enough," Maher said, confirming he personally invited C.K. to the ceremony.

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"I mean, people get like two years for rape. You know, I mean, the weird sort of no rules for how we mete out punishment in this country for offenders is pretty weird," Maher later added.

He also defended actor Kevin Spacey, who was acquitted of all sexual assault charges in the U.K. in July 2023 after a high-profile trial. Spacey had pleaded not guilty to all counts. Separate U.S. cases ended with a dropped criminal charge and a dismissed civil lawsuit.

Maher, who hosted Spacey on his "Club Random" podcast on June 29, as well as director Woody Allen for a separate sit-down last year, reiterated that the court of public opinion often ignores the legal system. Allen has faced decades-old sexual abuse allegations that he has continuously denied and was never criminally charged following police investigations.

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"I just had Kevin Spacey on. Another one you're probably like, ‘Oh, how could you have him on?’ There was five accusations. I don't know if they were all trials, but they were all something where there was an official exoneration," Maher said.

"Woody Allen, two exhaustive police summaries, not to mention how preposterous the story is that he was molesting his own daughter in the attic there. Doesn't matter. People just want to believe what they want to believe," he added.