(HBO)
Bill Maher is firing back at people upset about his recent “Real Time” joke comparing Zayn Malik to convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The comedian was asked about the controversy during an interview with BuzzFeed, and he did not hold back his contempt for anyone who got too upset about the segment.
In case you missed the original joke (see video below), Maher pretended to be deeply hurt about Malik’s departure from One Direction before saying, “Just tell me two things, Zayn. Which one in the band were you? And where were you during the Boston Marathon?” At that point, Maher showed a side-by-side comparison of Malik and Tsarnaev.
Critics slammed Maher for linking the boy bander to the terrorist. When BuzzFeed asked about it, the HBO host struck back. “I feel like any place that considers itself a serious journalistic enterprise and I certainly consider BuzzFeed to be that, it’s beneath their dignity to even ask about something that, really, is the province of teenage girls,” said Maher. He continued, “We threw up a picture of the guy from the guy from One Direction and we threw up a picture of the Tsarnaev kid. They look alike. That’s the whole joke.”
Maher added, “‘Do something useful with your life’ is my response to the people who are asking for an apology. I understand why teenage girls are upset; they’re teenage girls. Anybody else that is upset is acting like a teenage girl.” The comedian continued, “I don’t know how we got to this place where we think that anything that gives us the least bit consternation we have to make a protest about it. Turn the page or flip the dial. Pick up the roll of quarters and leave the booth. Whatever it is. It’s insane.” What do you think?
