Bill Maher did three great things on Friday: he told Democrats to mature about the America 250 celebrations, laughed at the James Talarico deepfake video, and left Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) totally stunned regarding a recent Supreme Court ruling on Second Amendment rights and habitual marijuana users—the Court ruled they cannot be banned from owning firearms.
First, the gun case, which left Khanna scrambling since Maher’s take on the matter broadsided him:
Bill Maher confronts Ro Khanna over California’s “ridiculous” gun laws.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 20, 2026
Maher caught Khanna off guard when he revealed he wanted a gun — but complained it makes “no sense” to own one in California, because “you might be the one to go to jail” for using it.
Khanna tried to sound… pic.twitter.com/cf0nmkcINf
MAHER: “What does the panel think of the Supreme Court ruling that habitual marijuana users can’t be banned from owning guns? Now you have my attention… That’s awesome. That’s fair. I want guns and I can’t have them because I don’t, because it’s illegal.”
KHANNA: “You don’t strike me as a gun guy. You would want guns?”
MAHER: “Of course!”
KHANNA: “Okay, I didn’t know that.”
MAHER: “Why wouldn’t you want a gun?”
KHANNA: “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t have a gun, but I mean, I respect the Second Amendment. I just, I wouldn’t have thought that you had guns.”
MAHER: “I mean, I don’t because of that! But yes. I mean, I can’t expect the police to be everywhere like that… And of course, another complaint I would have about California is it almost makes no sense to have one because you almost can’t use it! Because if you do, you might be the one to go to jail. I mean, you can shoot an intruder in your house, but you better do it exactly right. He better be in your bedroom facing you… You shoot him on the lawn, you’re going to go to jail. I mean, that’s kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?”
KHANNA: “I’m for investing in police. I’m for having public safety. I don’t think the answer to crime should be everyone takes justice into their own hands.”
MAHER: “Even if there’s somebody in your house?!”
KHANNA: “Well, of course, if they’re in the house. Self-defense.”
MAHER: “Well, that’s what we’re talking about.”
As for the Talarico deepfake video, even Maher laughed:
Bill Maher tries to trash a deepfake ad against James Talarico as “ridiculous.”
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) June 20, 2026
Then he actually watches it, and he can’t keep a straight face.
Even his liberal audience was laughing, too.
MAHER: “There’s a Talarico deepfake that’s going around. I could tell that this is not… pic.twitter.com/qyD0lwNMQL
And he ripped into Democrats who are, as we expected, belly-aching over America 250 (via Fox News):
Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time," had a message for Democrats looking to spoil the upcoming America 250 celebration over their distaste for President Donald Trump: Don’t be so petty.
Referring to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which featured many American flags, he argued, "You can't take back the flag in an hour if the rest of the time you treat patriotism as something vaguely embarrassing."
Maher’s closing commentary on Friday came as the country is ramping up for its annual Fourth of July celebration, with Trump vowing to go big this year for America’s 250th anniversary.
Despite the festivities, many Democrats are refusing to participate in the fun, citing their unhappiness with Trump as the primary catalyst, a decision Maher blasted Friday night while taking jabs at both sides.
[…]
The TV host condemned the liberal argument that the country should not be celebrated just because they are unhappy with who the current president is.
"The left half of the country fears he’ll make the anniversary about him," Maher said. "Of course he will."
Maher went on to urge Democrats to focus on the country for the upcoming Fourth of July.
"The question is whether we will all help [Trump] do it. We shouldn’t," he continued. "This is about America. He isn’t America. He’s a temporary caretaker of America — America’s employee."
A rational liberal perspective that’s not crazy, unlike the people now supporting algae at the reflecting pool in DC, though there are worse and more unhinged examples.
