Over the last 72 hours, the headlines have been partially dominated by the rise and fall of former Breitbart News editor milo yiannopoulos. In response, comedian Bill Maher has decided to give his thoughts.
Maher on Milo
In the last two years, Milo Yiannopoulos has become a major name in the world of social media, as he gained a large following on Twitter and Facebook. The senior editor of Breitbart News is a vocal Donald Trump-supporting journalist from Britain who made a name for himself by traveling to college campuses to debate against liberal ideas and groups, like modern third-wave feminism, social justice warriors, and Black Lives Matter.
After a video resurfaced appearing to show Yiannopoulos defending pedophilia, his carer came crashing down, which all took place just days after appearing on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher." As reported in the New York Times on February 22, Maher is taking credit for the aftermath.
Bill Maher, Faulted for Booking Milo Yiannopoulos, Takes Credit for His Fall https://t.co/oyCFbQJIib
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) February 22, 2017
"What I think people saw was an emotionally needy Ann Coulter wannabe, trying to make a buck off of the left’s propensity for outrage," Bill Maher told the New York Times in an interview published on Wednesday. "By the end of the weekend, by dinnertime Monday, he’s dropped as a speaker at CPAC," Maher continued, while noting that Milo later resigned from Breitbart News and then his much-talked about book deal was dropped.
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant," Maher went on to say, before stating, "You're welcome."
Despite his opposition to much of Milo's political views, Bill Maher is a strong supporter of free speech and allowing those who he disagrees with to have platform to express their opinions. Despite the backlash from those who want to silence the opposition, Maher appears to be taking credit in the fallout.
Milo Yiannopoulos finally learns the limits of free expression: https://t.co/Xy3uVuKXXH pic.twitter.com/WVN0VDureu
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2017
Maher's backlash
Heading into the interview with Milo Yiannopoulos last week, Bill Maher received heavy criticism for even allowing the former Breitbart editor on his show in the first place.
Critics accused Maher of allowing Yiannopoulos a platform to spread "hate speech," which led to journalist Jeremy Scahill cancelling his appearance to avoid being on the same program. "Real Time with Bill Maher" airs each Friday at 10 p.m., and is currently in its 15th season in production.
