Even Bill Maher‘s Real Time studio audience wasn’t big fans of his recent joke about Ariana Grande‘s weight.
During Friday’s episode of the HBO program, the host and comedian said during his opening monologue, “I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us. And, by the way, the [Trump] administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files.”
Maher continued, “Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes. Oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”
While his audience laughed at his first joke about the Grammy winner, it was Maher’s next jab that didn’t land well. “Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something,” he quipped, drawing loud groans from the crowd.
This wasn’t the first time Maher’s made jokes about someone’s weight. He said on Real Time in 2019, “Can fat be beautiful? That’s in the eye of the beholder, but healthy no. That’s science. I know this is a controversial thing to say now in today’s America, but being fat is a bad thing. We shouldn’t taunt people about it and overeating shouldn’t be singled out as the only vice; it’s not. We all have something, but there’s no smoking acceptance or drunk acceptance when I drank too much.”
Maher later added, “Fat shaming doesn’t need to end; it needs to make a comeback. Some amount of shame is good.”
Grande recently made headlines when it was revealed that the “petal” singer would be “taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”
Once the tour wraps in September, a statement previously shared with The Hollywood Reporter said she’ll be “taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” Over the last year, Grande has faced a wave of online commentary surrounding her health and body.
The “Hate That I Made You Love Me” artist later clarified at one of her shows in Chicago that the decision to step back from the public eye “was not a reactive or impulsive thing.” She also told the crowd, “It was something that I have decided. A plan that I had quietly made a long time ago. It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”