How Much "Work" Does Bill Maher Actually Do to Prepare Friday's "Real Time?"

As someone who has watched Real Time for about 20 years—just how much actual work does Bill Maher personally do to prepare for the Friday broadcast - that is when he's not taking months off for vacation.

On his Club Random podcast, I recall him admitting more than once that his writers handle nearly everything, at minimum. All the heavy lifting. He even implied it’s “cheating” (he used this exact word or something very similar ) to rely on them as much as he does, though he shrugged it off as “how the world works” when it comes to him getting all the credit.

And whatever, I know he's not the only person like this but turns me the most off is that he doesn’t give his writers the credit they deserve, at least not publicly.

And as for the closing segment he supposedly writes himself? He loves to emphasize how hands-on he is with it, but let’s be real—how confident are we that he’s putting together the final draft on his own? Something about it smells a bit too polished for his off-the-cuff vibe.

Thoughts? I admit, I used to watch his Friday show every every week religiously, but lately it's become less of a priority, I just feel like he's parroting at this point. I still tune in when I can, and will watch his podcast when a guest intrigues me.