Bill Maher Slams TV Dads and “Performative Pussy-Hood” in Father’s Day Rant on ‘Real Time’: “Can’t the Pendulum Ever Land in the Middle?”

As Real Time with Bill Maher hit its 700th episode milestone on Friday, the host used his “New Rules” segment to deliver a fiery monologue on the decline of masculinity in modern media — and, as he sees it, in American culture at large.

Maher, known for his unapologetically contrarian takes, claimed that dads have become “punching bags” in entertainment, blaming film and television for what he called an erosion of traditional fatherhood and male identity.

“Let’s make the Father’s Day we just celebrated the last one that takes place in a culture where dads have become such punching bags, literally the last demographic group that TV, ads and movies can still depict as clueless, useless dipshits, basically just another child mom has to look after,” Maher said.

He pointed to the 1987 comedy Three Men and a Baby as a turning point, and cited series like Married with Children, The Simpsons, Modern Family, Malcolm in the Middle, and the Apple TV+ show Your Friends and Neighbors as contributing to what he sees as a cultural crisis of masculinity — one that’s inadvertently fueled the popularity of toxic online figures like Andrew Tate.

Maher then proceeded to queue up some clips of male celebrities suggesting that women are “better” than men. In one piece of footage, Will Ferrell proposed, “Isn’t it just time for women to run the planet?”

Maher blasted Ferrell, pointing out that female leaders like Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and even Hillary Clinton were as “violent” and “hard-a**” as men. Although Maher neglected to mention that the clip of Ferrell was from an event honoring Kerry Washington, and his statement was just to tee-up a joke about how the Scandal star should run for president.

“And I get it, that this is a correction to centuries of women being deemed the weaker sex,” Maher continued. “But how long does the correction last? And when will men stop making me throw up in my mouth with the way [they] pander so negatively?”

“Besides being historically naive, this cringey pandering is why teenage boys flock to jerks like Andrew Tate,” he said. “Yes, he’s a huge a**hole,” Maher added, acknowledging Tate’s criminal record and influence. “And your kid thinks he’s cool. Because that’s the choice of role models the American teenage boy has, either performative pussy-hood or the man-osphere. Jesus, can’t the pendulum ever land in the middle in this country.”

He capped off the rant with a call for a little more dignity for dads: “I’m just saying; men, we’re not completely useless. So, if you want to know what to get dad next Father’s Day, how about a little respect?”

But anyone hoping for more of Maher’s takes in the coming weeks will have to wait: Real Time is now on hiatus for the month of July.