Bill Maher rips 'SNL' writers for 'lying' about MAGA supporters

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Bill Maher accused Saturday Night Live writers of “lying” to their audience during a sketch for the show’s 50th anniversary special.

The comedian and HBO host was perturbed by the actions of Tom Hanks’ character — wearing a red Make America Great Again cap — who reprised his role as “MAGA Doug” from the show’s 2016 Black Jeopardy! skit.

During the episode that aired Feb. 16, Hanks was introduced as a contestant alongside Leslie Jones as Shanice, Tracy Morgan as Darius and Eddie Murphy as Tracy Morgan.

“Speaking of church, can I say something?” Hanks asked. “If more folks went to church, we wouldn’t be in this mess we’re in now.”

Thompson, who played the role of game show host Darnell Hayes, agreed with Hanks and offered to shake his hand.

“Don’t like that,” Hanks said as he backed away in fear. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

Thompson reassured Hanks that it was “just a handshake” and they shook hands.

During Maher’s Club Random Podcast which aired Sunday, guest Jillian Michaels spoke about supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump and how they are still referred to as “deplorables” nine years after Hillary Clinton made that disparaging remark about conservative voters.

“Listen, I’ve met Tom Hanks a couple of times, and he was very kind and very lovely, and his wife was exceptionally lovely,” the fitness trainer and nutritionist said. “But when he was on Saturday Night Live ….”

Maher interjected and said he agreed with Michaels.

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“I hated it, too, and I said it on my show,” Maher said. “I know. I hated it. Wearing the MAGA hat, not shaking hands with a Black person. And that’s when I thought, ‘You people don’t know MAGA people.'”

While he has issues with some racist Trump supporters, Maher said painting all MAGA followers with the same brush “is not helping.”

“I mean, of course, there’s some racists everywhere who are that bad,” he said. “But generally, all the MAGA people I know have no problem shaking hands with a Black person. You’re just hysterical, and you’re not helping. That was not helping.”

Maher continued by ripping “SNL” writers for what he called a “zombie lie,” a claim that is disproven but continues to persist.

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“But mostly what I hate is, it’s what I call a zombie lie. Don’t lie to me. It’s a lie that MAGA people won’t shake hands with — I get it, it’s part of a skit, and it’s an exaggeration, and that’s comedy — it’s a little too delicate a subject to just make, to go there for that one. Look, we all in comedy step over the line sometimes or do one that they want to take back.”

However, he said the premise of the character offended him.

“But I’m telling you, as a liberal, I don’t like it,” he said. “Again, because lying offends me. I’m a comedian. When the premise isn’t real, I can’t go with — the joke is not gonna work. The premise has to ring true. That premise doesn’t ring true. It might have rang true, I don’t know, X years ago. It doesn’t now.”