Fox News personality Sean Hannity slammed liberal comedian and HBO host Bill Maher late Monday for celebrating the recent death of Republican megadonor and activist David Koch.
“I have a little message for Bill,” Mr. Hannity said during his nightly Fox News program. “You’re a jackass. You’re a mean-spirited jackass.”
“I have other words I really want to use, but unlike you, I work at a network that has some standards, and if I said it, I’d have to spend all day tomorrow and the next day dealing with that crap,” said the “Hannity” host. “The guy you’re talking about and his wife donated $1.3 billion to charity. Until you do that, just keep your big mouth shut.”
Koch, 79, died Friday of prostate cancer, and Mr. Maher mocked and cheered his passing when his live HBO program, “Real Times with Bill Maher,” aired later that night.
“Condolences poured in from all the politicians he owned, and mourners have been asked in lieu of flowers to just leave their car engine running,” Mr. Maher joked during his opening monologue. “As for his remains, he has asked to be cremated and have his ashes blown into a child’s lungs.”
“He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate-science deniers for decades, so f– him,” said the “Real Time with Bill Maher” host. “I’m glad he’s dead, and I hope the end was painful.”
Mr. Maher prefaced the comment by predicting he would be condemned by Fox News personalities, and Mr. Hannity was not the first of the network’s hosts to prove him right. Greg Gutfeld, a co-host of “The Five,” responded early Saturday on Twitter by calling the comedian a “needy phony.”
Representatives for “Real Time” did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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