Noted Atheist Bill Maher Believes in Ghosts

In case you weren’t aware, Bill Maher is an atheist. 

The Real Time host even found a way to monetize his spiritual skepticism with 2008’s Religulous, a documentary that spent over 90 minutes criticizing the scare tactics and preachiness of organized religion, but then ended with Maher unironically lecturing audiences about an impending apocalypse, intercut with footage of terrorist attacks and nuclear explosions, all set to ominous choral music. It made Mel Gibson’s unhinged Jesus movie seem subtle by comparison. 

Clearly self-awareness has never been Maher’s strong suit, but even after devoting so much of his career to arguing against people’s “stupid” beliefs, apparently he himself seems to believe in g-g-g-ghosts!

During a recent episode of Club Random, the only YouTube show filmed in a suburban divorcé’s radioactive man cave, Maher temporarily paused fiddling with joints and liquor bottles to ask his guest, legendary magician and “professional skeptic” Penn Jillette, about ghosts. “Many people over the years (who are) not drunk (and) not stupid, have (had) some sort of experience with what you would call a ghost,” Maher argued, citing stories of folks encountering paranormal odors (?!?!) and witnessing furniture moving on its own. He also mentioned the rumors that The Comedy Store is haunted.

Jillette pointed out that Maher is making a big leap by suggesting that ghosts are responsible for unexplained occurrences. “Why are you giving an explanation, why aren’t you stopping at ‘I don’t know’?” he asked Maher.

Maher countered that he has just heard too many stories about supernatural encounters, including the time a friend of his moved into a haunted apartment and felt an “odd” presence. “‘Get the fuck outta here!’ she yelled at the ghost,” Maher explained, “and she never felt it again.”

After Jillette, again, contended that “ghosts” aren’t a reasonable explanation for the unknown, Maher randomly interjected: “I don’t wanna be a ghost. That’s all I know.”

It seems more than a little hypocritical that Maher will so viciously mock people’s religious beliefs, but so easily buy into the idea that poltergeists are rearranging people’s IKEA couches for no reason. And Maher pointing to random ghost anecdotes from unnamed randos is arguably just as evidentiary as the countless stories of people who claimed to have witnessed religious phenomena. 

Making this even more baffling, Maher echoed Jillette’s exact argument about ghosts while debating religion with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. “I do admit that there are things in the universe I don’t understand,” Maher stated, “but my response to that is not to make up silly stories. Or to believe intellectually-embarrassing myths from the bronze age.” 

Maher’s sit-down with Jillette wasn’t even the only time that he professed his interest in spirits. Maher previously talked about his openness to the existence of ghosts during an interview with Jack Osbourne. 

By the way, none of this should be taken as a defense of organized religion, it’s more just an illustration of how big of an idiot Bill Maher is. Maher sanctimoniously blasting people for making up “silly stories” to explain the unexplainable while praising others for doing the exact same thing is yet further proof that no one should listen to him about anything.

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