Bill Maher Net Worth, Money & More
Net worth : $23 Million
Profession : Stand-up comedian, Television Host, Author, and Actor
Bill Maher is a name not unknown to many who are acquainted with the American stand-up comedy scene. He currently hosts the very popular American TV program Real Time with Bill Maher. Maher is known for his sarcastic attitude, political satire and sociopolitical commentary, which targets a wide range of topics including religion, politics and mass media. He is considered to be as one of the top socio-political and comic voices of America.
Early Years
William Maher, better known as Bill Maher, was born in New York City on January 20, 1956. His father was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother was a nurse. Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974. He then enrolled in Cornell University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and history in 1978.
Career and Wealth
Maher began his career as a stand-up comedian and actor. He was host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979. Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson’s and David Letterman’s shows in 1982. He made limited television appearances including a recurring role in Sara. His feature film debut was in D.C. Cab. He later appeared in Ratboy, House II, Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death and Pizza Man.
Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, a late-night political talk show that ran from 1993 to 2002. The show brought together people from various professional spectrums—from rock stars to athletes to film actors—to talk about current events. To keep the show lively, Maher would interject the dialogue with his own opinionated, wry comments. Although the show was cancelled in 2002 due to a controversial 9/11 comment by Maher, his career still lives on.
After making several TV show appearances regarding his 9/11 remark, he became a host, co-producer, co-writer of his own HBO show called Real Time with Bill Maher. Despite numerous controversies, Maher has continued to publish political satire. As a performer and author, he has won kudos for his defense of free speech; as an entertainer, he garnered ratings and awards.
Maher’s political prowess has earned him a spot as a frequent commentator on various cable news networks, including CNN, MSNBC, FOX News Channel and HLN. Maher has regularly appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and has also been a frequent guest on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Rachel Maddow Show, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He also hosted Larry King Live on CNN in 2006, a show that he also appeared on as a frequent guest. In May of 2005 he began contributing as a blogger for the Huffington Post to talk about his opinions on politics and social problems.
He owns a 1950′s mansion with a screening room; two guest houses; a glass house and the main house where he lives. Maher used to drive a Prius hybrid but he has now switched to a Lexus Hybrid. According to one website, he makes about $2.8 million a year after taxes and other expenses. In 2012, Maher purchased a minority ownership interest in the New York Mets baseball team for $20 million.
Maher supports the legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage. His critical views of religion were the basis for the 2008 documentary film Religulous. He serves on the board of PETA and is an advisory board member of Project Reason. In 2013 Maher became one of the producers for the HBO news magazine series Vice.
Awards and Recognition
In 2005, Maher ranked at number 38 on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. Bill Maher has received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. Maher has been nominated for numerous Emmys, but has lost 22 times, the most of any nominee.
Personal life
Maher is not married and has stated on more than one occasion that he has no intentions of ever getting married. In 2003, he began dating former Playboy Cyber Girl Coco Johnsen. In November 2004, at the end of their 17-month relationship, she sued him for USD $9 million for “pain and suffering” for alleged “insulting, humiliating and degrading racial comments.” The lawsuit was dismissed on May 2, 2005. In 2005, he began dating Karrine Steffans, best-selling author and former hip hop model. From 2009 to 2011, Maher dated neuroscientist and science educator Cara Santa Maria.
Quotes
“Jesus, as a philosopher is wonderful. There’s no greater role model, in my view, than Jesus Christ. It’s just a shame that most of the people who follow him and call themselves Christians act nothing like him.”
“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, that’s not cowardly. Stupid maybe, but not cowardly.”
