- The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Comedian Bill Maher and HBO made it clear Wednesday that he isn’t going anywhere until after the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The host of “Real Time with Bill Maher” may be 61 years old, but he has no intention of abandoning the show until after President Trump’s likely re-election campaign. Mr. Maher cemented a deal that keeps his show running through 2020 while promising a retrospective and a stand-up special.

“I’m extraordinarily grateful to HBO for one of the great relationships of my life, and I applaud their efforts to fight ageism by signing me to this extended deal,” Mr. Maher joked, entertainment magazine THR reported.

HBO programming President Casey Bloys added that executives are “incredibly proud” to continue a relationship, which began with a stand-up special in 1989.

“As part of the HBO family for nearly 30 years, Bill’s distinctive point of view, coupled with his passion and commitment to insightful and informative entertainment, has remained unparalleled,” Mr. Bloys said.

“Real Time” has aired for 15 seasons.

Mr. Maher, a regular critic of Mr. Trump, told CNN in February that he would gladly match a $1 million donation he made in 2012 to then-President Barack Obama with a similar gift to former presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, provided that it would put the ex-Massachusetts governor in the White House in place of Mr. Trump.

“Oh, the Bush years. I wish,” Mr. Maher said in the CNN interview that aired Feb. 10. “You know, I gave Obama a million dollars. You know that, right? His PAC. I would happily give that million dollars right now to Mitt Romney if he would take over the country. I gave it to prevent Mitt Romney [as] president — I would [be] begging Mitt Romney to be president.”

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

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