Bill Maher Unravels Top Dem’s Claim That CBS Has Gone Full MAGA
Article excerpt
Bill Maher challenged Senator Chris Murphy's claim that CBS News has shifted toward Donald Trump, specifically over the network's decision to remove longtime "60 Minutes" anchor Scott Pelley. Murphy argued the anchor's departure signaled the network's rightward drift, but Maher pushed back during Friday's appearance, questioning whether that interpretation held up. The exchange highlights broader Democratic concerns about media bias in the post-Trump era, even as cable news viewership patterns suggest more complex dynamics at play.
Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher pushed back immediately on claims from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) that CBS News was leaning hard toward President Donald Trump.
Murphy claimed during a Friday evening appearance with Maher that when CBS News axed longtime “60 Minutes” anchor Scott Pelley, it was just further proof that the Trump administration was pushing to implement a “censorship state” and take full control of the media.
WATCH:
Bill Maher repeatedly swats down Democrat senator’s claim that Trump is hijacking 60 Minutes to “tell his story.”
No matter which direction Chris Murphy turned, Maher kept getting in his way.
MURPHY: “You’re watching a censorship state… Trump is using regulatory powers to… pic.twitter.com/rS2ucGIroh
, The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 6, 2026
“You’re watching a censorship state,” Murphy asserted, adding, “Trump is using regulatory powers to punish people who oppose him.”
“That’s a big charge that you just made, that ’60 Minutes’ itself and CBS itself is now completely MAGA,” Maher pushed back. “I don’t see it that way.”
Murphy backpedaled slightly, saying, “It’s not completely MAGA.”
“Well, it’s kind of what you said,” Maher pointed out.
“But he is clearly intent on installing people who will tell his story and will keep his critics off the air,” Murphy claimed.
“But let me ask you this question. I watch ’60 Minutes’ every week. I have since I was a kid,” Maher continued to press, arguing that the media was making a story out of nothing. “If I didn’t hear all the buzz in the media … would I ever notice that it was any different? I don’t think I would.”
“Part of what the allegation is, is that they are killing stories that would be embarrassing for the president,” Murphy insisted, adding, “So it’s hard to know what you’re missing in a censorship environment.”
Maher noted that he was still seeing stories that weren’t exactly flattering to Trump, suggesting that if the goal was to censor unfavorable stories, the network had thus far not been terribly successful in doing so.
“I’ve seen ones that are not very favorable to the president,” he said, repeating, “I don’t know if I would have noticed anything different if I hadn’t been reading about it … Companies change hands all the time … ‘Oh my God. 60 Minutes has a new cast!’ So does ‘Saturday Night Live.'”
Over laughter from the audience, Maher added, “I’m not going to [fret] until I see a smoking gun.”