Politically Incorrect

Did You Know?

• Maher released a 1997 book titled Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect, featuring questions from the show and guest answers.
• In 2003, an audiobook titled POLITICAL INCORRECTIONS: The Best Opening Monologues from Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher was released, including monologues with explanations of the current affairs discussed.
• The New York episodes were shot at the CBS Broadcast Center, and the Los Angeles episodes at CBS Television City.

Format

The show opened with a brief topical monologue by Maher, who then introduced four guests, typically a mix of show business figures, popular culture personalities, pundits, political consultants, and occasionally ordinary people in the news. Guests discussed news topics selected by Maher, who described the program as "The McLaughlin Group on acid." On rare occasions, Maher interviewed a single guest. The conversation aimed to resemble a cocktail party with quick-witted participants, airing all points of view, especially controversial ones.

9/11 controversy and cancellation

On September 11, 2001, conservative commentator Barbara Olson was traveling to appear on Politically Incorrect when her plane was hijacked and flown into the Pentagon. After the attacks, President George W. Bush called the terrorists cowards. On the September 17 episode, guest Dinesh D'Souza said the perpetrators were warriors, and Maher replied: "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, [it's] not cowardly." Advertisers withdrew support, and some ABC affiliates temporarily stopped airing the show. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer warned that "people have to watch what they say and watch what they do." Maher later apologized, explaining he had criticized U.S. military policy, not soldiers. The show was canceled in June 2002; Maher and others saw the controversy as the cause, though ABC cited declining ratings. Maher noted the show struggled for advertisers in its final months. The program was replaced by Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003. Maher later launched Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO in February 2003, following a similar format.

Awards and recognition

Politically Incorrect won a 2000 Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series. It received seventeen other Emmy nominations, including for Outstanding Variety and Outstanding Music or Comedy Series each year from 1995 to 2002, and for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1997. The show also won two CableACE Awards for Talk Show Series in 1995 and 1996, with a third nomination in 1997, and was nominated for two Writers Guild of America awards for best Comedy/Variety series in 2001 and 2002.