CNN’s Jake Tapper Confronts Bill Maher With David Cross Slam On Anti-Trans Jokes
CNN’s Jake Tapper confronted comic and pundit Bill Maher with fellow comic David Cross’s comments slamming anti-trans humor, but Maher defended the material by claiming “the trans community is asking for too much.”
In a recent Salon interview with SiriusXM host interviewer Dean Obeidallah, Cross torched comics who make anti-trans jokes, then “bitch and moan about, you know, ‘they’re trying to cancel me for this joke I made’” instead of examining the criticism. He did not name Chappelle or Maher, although both have been criticized by the trans community.
Tapper interviewed the host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, for a special live event Tuesday night, expanding on CNN’s experiment of putting Maher’s weekly “Overtime” segment that follows the show on at 11:30.
At one point, Tapper read part of Cross’s remarks — first noting that Cross did not name Chappelle and claiming “he’s not talking about you certainly” despite Maher’s frequent transgender-related jabs at trans people like Caitlyn Jenner — and asked Maher for his take. Maher defended the material and accused the trans community of trying to “shut down debate”:
TAPPER: So, you know, I hear a lot about comedians being afraid to perform in the new environment, but by the same token, I mean, I see Dave Chappelle still doing very well.
MAHER: Yeah.
TAPPER: There’s one thing I — I wanted to get your reaction to something because obviously Chappelle has been criticized a lot because of his — making fun of transgender– the transgender community.
This is what David Cross says, and he’s — David Cross is a pretty edgy comedian and —
MAHER: Yes, great — great comedian.
TAPPER: And he says — this is — he’s talking — he’s not talking about you certainly, and he’s not even talking about Chappelle necessarily in the quote, but he’s talking about people who make the kind of jokes making fun of transgender, he said, you’re positioning yourself as this bullshit voice of, they’re not going to cancel me. You can’t silence me.
For what? Your dumb joke about trans people? Who gives a shit? I mean, is it that important to you? Just move along and not hurt hundreds of thousands of people. It’s a choice people make.
I thought it was an interesting quote. I mean, I guess the larger criticism of Chappelle from people like David Cross is, he’s punching down, not like what Carlin did punching up.
What do you think?
MAHER: I don’t really agree. I mean, I think the trans community is asking for too much. Again, the difference between liberal and woke.
Liberals are people who I think would say — I certainly would– trans is, of course, a real thing. You know, some people are just, you know, I don’t — I’m — they probably don’t like this terminology, but born in the wrong body, whatever the — the equipment doesn’t match how you feel.
Absolutely. And it’s great we live in a time where people like that can freely live the lives they should live with all the dignity and protection of the law that we can afford them, like anybody else in society. I think that’s the liberal point of view.
The woke point of view is something very different, like — well, babies are born now and just jump ball, we don’t know what they are.
Congratulations, you have a boy. Well, let’s not be hasty. There’s a penis. That could be an indication of a male, but it’s — it’s really– we’ll find out later. And we can always get rid of it.
And it’s not wrong to have this discussion. This is some — something that’s very new. It’s not to shut it — to shut down debate with these words like phobia.
You’re phobic and you hate — we don’t hate. It’s not hate. It’s not phobic. We’re not afraid.
We’re just discussing something very new that involves children and what — these interventions you’re making have repercussions for the entire rest of their lives and they’re about their health, which I think should come first.
TAPPER: So I think if a trans activist were here right now, they might say, we’re not afraid of having discussions and debate, but you’re talking about these issues at a time when states like Idaho and Florida and others are talking about banning these procedures, regardless of what the kid and the parents and the doctor want.
MAHER: Well, that’s —
TAPPER: And that that’s, like, a bigger issue than the term pregnant people.
MAHER: Well, that’s probably a backlash that went too far.
TAPPER: You think that’s —
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Yeah.
MAHER: Yeah. I think that is, to — to completely ban it. But I also — I also don’t agree with what you just said. They absolutely do want to shut down debate.
Watch above via CNN.
