249-464: William Maher ( / m ɑːr / MAR ; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is popularly known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present) and the similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect (1993–2002), originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC . In 2022, Maher started
498-431: A Bialetti moka pot is one of his must-haves. He described the process of making coffee with a moka pot as complex and time-consuming, but a pleasurable way to "waste time". Seinfeld is Jewish and has incorporated elements of his Jewish identity in his work. Although he shared that his mother was born into a large family of Syrian Orthodox Jews, he admitted to being non-religious himself. Seinfeld stated that he took
747-666: A National Hockey League (NHL) game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks from Madison Square Garden , was transmitted that evening over channel 21—its original assigned channel on the Teleservice system—to its initial base of 365 subscribers in Wilkes-Barre. The first movie presentation shown on the service aired immediately after the hockey game concluded: the 1971 film Sometimes
996-587: A Scientology course when he was in his 20s; he said that he found it interesting but that he did not pursue it any further. Seinfeld expressed support for Israel during the Israel–Hamas war , saying "I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people." Seinfeld and his family previously drew criticism, travelling to the West Bank in 2018 to participate in a terrorism simulation camp. Seinfeld also visited
1245-659: A Tony Award . Maher was born in New York City. His father, William Aloysius Maher Jr., was a network news editor and radio announcer, and his mother, Julie Maher (née Berman), was a nurse. He was raised in his Irish-American father's Roman Catholic religion. Until his early teens, he was unaware that his mother, whose family was from Hungary, was Jewish. Owing to his disagreement with the Catholic Church's doctrine about birth control , Maher's father stopped taking Maher and his sister to Catholic Mass when Maher
1494-485: A digital cable subscription or at least scrambling), and, because of controversy surrounding daytime showings of R-rated films that began being scheduled on competing premium services as early as 1980, remained in place well after the V-chip became standard in newer television sets. From April 1979 to March 1987, rating bumpers preceding HBO telecasts of R-rated films included a special disclaimer indicating to viewers that
1743-407: A house nigger " in response to guest Senator Ben Sasse offering Maher to work on the fields in his home state on Real Time . This led to calls being made by people to HBO to fire him. Following the episode, HBO sent a statement to media outlets, calling Maher's remarks "inexcusable and tasteless", and said the cable network would remove that segment from future airings of the show. Maher also issued
1992-495: A subscription video-on-demand service (HBO On Demand). Off-the-air maintenance periods of anywhere from a half-hour up to two hours occur at varied overnight/early morning time slots (usually preceding the 6:00 a.m. ET/PT start of the defined broadcast day) once per month on each channel. HBO transmits feeds of its primary and multiplex channels on both Eastern and Pacific Time Zone schedules. The respective coastal feeds of each channel are usually packaged together, resulting in
2241-500: A two-state solution and oppose the hard-line stance of their government, which he describes as having been taken over by their version of the Tea Party . However, Maher has defended Israel's military actions against Palestinians amid criticism over civilian deaths and disproportionate casualty count between Israelis and Palestinians during the 2014 Gaza war . He argues that Israel is still showing restraint, and he finds it ironic that
2490-495: A "Critic's Pick" with Anne Nicholson describing it as a "full-fledged, fully ridiculous feature comedy targeted to the audience’s sweet-and-salty dopamine receptors". David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote that the "comedy never heats up" and "it’s a movie about so many different things at once that it comes to feel like a movie about nothing". Seinfeld appeared as a guest on John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA where he joked that it
2739-621: A "national spotlight" on the politician during segments of his show and stand-up comedy appearances in that member's district during the Fall election. Maher ultimately selected Republican Representative John Kline from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district , but he failed to prevent him from winning against his Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party opponent Mike Obermueller . In the 2016 U.S. presidential election , Maher initially endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders on February 5, 2016. Maher later announced his support for Hillary Clinton after Clinton won
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#17327800643402988-483: A 2014 Maine referendum to ban the use of bait, traps and dogs to hunt bears in Maine. He specifically criticized the use of bait, referring to its use as "nothing but an execution". Maher is a gun owner, and explained in his February 12, 2013, appearance on the late-night TV talk show Conan that he owns guns for personal home protection. However, he does not identify himself as a "proud" gun owner, commenting that being
3237-441: A 2024 interview with The New Yorker , Seinfeld claimed political correctness was destroying comedy, saying, “This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people. When you write a script and it goes into four or five different hands, committees, groups — 'Here's our thought about this joke' — well, that's the end of your comedy.” Months later, he walked back those comments on
3486-403: A Great Notion , starring Paul Newman and Henry Fonda . To reduce subscriber churn by offering extra programming choices to subscribers, on May 8, 1991, Home Box Office Inc. announced plans to launch two additional channels of HBO and Cinemax, becoming the first subscription television services to launch " multiplexed " companion channels (a term coined by then-CEO Michael Fuchs to equate
3735-768: A Moron . Seinfeld also wrote the foreword to the Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbook . In October 2020, Seinfeld released his new book Is This Anything? . The book chronicles Seinfeld's 45 years working in comedy and contains many of his best bits that span from various decades. Seinfeld has stated, "On the Mount Rushmore of stand-up comedy, there are four faces, in my opinion: Richard Pryor , George Carlin , Bill Cosby , and Don Rickles ." Seinfeld has also cited as his influences Jean Shepherd , Mad Magazine , Jonathan Winters , Jerry Lewis , Robert Klein , and Abbott and Costello . He stated, " Monty Python
3984-632: A PC" advertisements and run the Seinfeld ads on the Microsoft website as a series of longer advertisements. In March 2009, it was announced that Seinfeld and the entire cast of Seinfeld would be appearing for a reunion in Larry David's HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm . The fictional reunion took place in the seventh season's finale and starred most of the original cast, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Jason Alexander , Michael Richards , in
4233-428: A Rising Star , which led to an appearance in a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special. In 1980, he had a small recurring role on the sitcom Benson , playing Frankie, a mail-delivery boy who had comedy routines that no one wanted to hear. Seinfeld was abruptly fired from the show due to creative differences. Seinfeld said that he was not told he had been fired until he arrived for a read-through session and found that there
4482-534: A TV-MA rating outside the watershed period. As of 2021 , HBO employs fairly fluid enforcement of the watershed policy, varying based on the content scheduled to air on its main channel during each programming day. The policy began to be weakened in January 2010, when the main HBO channel started allowing original series, movies, and documentaries given a TV-MA rating for strong profanity or non-graphic violence to air during
4731-507: A botched medical procedure. Seinfeld signed a deal with Netflix in January 2017 that included placing Seinfeld and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on their streaming service as well as two new Seinfeld stand-up specials and the development of scripted and non-scripted comedy programming. As part of the deal, all episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee were made available on the streaming service, in addition to
4980-477: A brief conversation, Lonstein gave Seinfeld her phone number. Lonstein was still a senior in high school and would turn 18 at the end of that month. Seinfeld and Lonstein dated for approximately four years, until 1997. She transferred from George Washington University to UCLA , in part to be with him, and cited constant press coverage and missing New York City as reasons for the relationship ending. The age difference led to intense media scrutiny. While Seinfeld
5229-694: A cable system franchise serving an Upper Manhattan section of New York City (covering an area extending southward from 79th Street on the Upper East Side to 86th Street on the Upper West Side), which began limited service in September 1966. Manhattan Cable was notable for being the first urban underground cable television system to operate in the United States. With external expenses resulting in consistent financial losses, in
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#17327800643405478-491: A capacity to address family poverty in three focus areas: supporting new mothers, investing in early childhood, and engaging fathers. GOOD+ Foundation has donated over $ 42M worth of items through its partner network across the United States. Seinfeld has also participated in Jon Stewart 's charity event, Night of Too Many Stars . According to Forbes magazine, Seinfeld's cumulative earnings from Seinfeld as of 2004
5727-413: A charity of Obama's choice if Obama would produce his college applications, transcripts, and passport records. In response to Maher's offer, Trump produced his birth certificate, and then Trump launched a lawsuit after Maher was not forthcoming, claiming that Maher's $ 5 million offer was legally binding. "I don't think he was joking", Trump said. "He said it with venom." Trump withdrew his lawsuit against
5976-818: A close U.S. ally , saying: "Stop respecting their medieval bullshit under the guise of, 'It's their culture. ' " Maher opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and has summarised his opinion by saying that the United States and the world have had to pay too high a price for the war. On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict , Maher says he is "more on the side of the Israelis" and does not consider both sides equally guilty. He acknowledges that "Palestinians do have gripes", and he has been critical of U.S. financial aid to Israel, saying "they don't need our money, they can handle it themselves." Maher claims that most Israelis prefer
6225-563: A combined package by many multichannel television providers; however, customers have the option of subscribing to HBO and Cinemax's corresponding channel packages individually. On August 1, 1980, HBO launched Cinemax, a companion movie-based premium channel created as a direct competitor to two existing movie-focused premium channels: The Movie Channel , then a smaller, standalone pay movie service owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (then part-owned by Warner Bros. Discovery predecessor Warner Communications), and Home Theater Network (HTN),
6474-456: A comedy special, titled I'm Telling You for the Last Time . The process of developing and performing new material at clubs around the world was chronicled in a 2002 documentary, Comedian , which also featured fellow comic Orny Adams and was directed by Christian Charles. Seinfeld has written several books, mostly archives of past routines. In the late 1990s, Apple Computer came up with
6723-543: A comic opening monologue based upon current events and other topical issues. He proceeds to a one-on-one interview with a guest, either in-studio or via satellite. Following the interview, Maher sits with two or three panelists—usually consisting of pundits, authors, activists, actors, politicians, and journalists—for a discussion of the week's events. Real Time has earned widespread praise. It has been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer's Guild awards. In 2007, Maher and his co-producers were awarded
6972-458: A controversial on-air remark six days after the September 11 attacks . He agreed with his guest, conservative pundit Dinesh D'Souza , that the 9/11 terrorists did not act in a cowardly manner (in rebuttal to President Bush 's statement calling them cowards). Maher said, "We have been the cowards. Lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits
7221-415: A daughter and two sons. In 1999, Seinfeld auctioned a Breitling Chronomat watch as part of the "Famous Faces, Watch Auction For Charity" event in New York City. This watch sold for $ 11,000. In 2001, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld created the charitable organization The Good+Foundation after their first child was born. Good+Foundation grants donations of products and services to programs that have demonstrated
7470-750: A default HBO OTT service for Amazon Fire and Fire TV customers. As a consequence of an agreement with WarnerMedia announced the day before offering HBO Max on Roku devices starting the following day, the HBO streaming service was discontinued on December 17, 2020. Max (formerly known as HBO Max) is an over-the-top subscription streaming service operated by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment built mainly around HBO's programming and other Warner Bros. Discovery assets. HBO's programming schedule currently consists largely of theatrically released feature films and adult-oriented original series (including, as of November 2023 , dramas such as Euphoria , Industry , The Gilded Age , House of
7719-399: A different color, and the 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder , the same model and pearl-grey color that actor James Dean had been driving before he crashed that car and subsequently died. The Discovery Channel television show Chasing Classic Cars claimed that Seinfeld owns the first and last produced air-cooled Porsche 911s. The centerpiece is a $ 700,000 Porsche 959 , one of only 337 built. He
Bill Maher - Misplaced Pages Continue
7968-443: A diverse group of individuals, such as show business, popular culture, political pundits, political consultants, authors, and occasionally news figures. The group would discuss topical issues selected by Maher, who also participated in the discussions. Jerry Seinfeld , a regular guest on the show, stated that Politically Incorrect reminded him of talk shows from the 1950s and '60s "when guests interacted with each other as much as with
8217-574: A farewell tribute video for the Obamas before the President left office, Seinfeld stated, "That knocking on the Oval Office window. That probably was the peak of my entire existence." In 2014, Seinfeld told David Letterman he invited Woody Allen to be on the show but hadn't heard back. That same year he also revealed Joan Rivers was supposed to be a guest on the show before she died due to
8466-492: A form of segregation. Instead, he argued for one national anthem and rejected separate ceremonies and dorms based on race, which drew some criticism. In 2022, Maher criticized the Democratic Party for "checking boxes" in regard to candidates of different identity groups, including race. He stated that Democrats prioritize diversity over merit. Maher has also spoken out against critical race theory but supports teaching
8715-486: A fourth HBO channel and two additional Cinemax channels, originally projected for a Spring 1997 launch. The HBO multiplex expanded to include a fourth channel on December 1, 1996, with the launch of HBO Family, focusing on family-oriented feature films and television series aimed at younger children. (HBO Family's launch coincided with the launch of Mountain Time Zone feeds of HBO, HBO2, Cinemax, and Cinemax 2, which were
8964-496: A game of Catchphrase , which Obama and Fallon won to Seinfeld's dismay. On September 19, 2017, Netflix released the stand-up comedy special Jerry Before Seinfeld . It follows Seinfeld as he returns for a stand-up routine at the New York City comedy club, Comic Strip Live , which started his career. It is intercut with documentary clips and his stand-up special. It was later released as an LP, CD and download album, and
9213-1117: A great thing for HBO or our brand if that had been gobbled up in the first week[..] I think it was very exciting for the viewer to have that mystery held out for an extended period." Pleper cited that he felt that binge-watching does not correlate with the culture of HBO and HBO watchers. Some of its original programs, however, have been aimed at families or children, primarily those produced before 2001 (through its original programming division and third-party producers both American and foreign) and from 2016 to 2020 (under its agreement with Sesame Workshop); children's programs that have aired on HBO have included Sesame Street , Fraggle Rock , Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child , A Little Curious , Crashbox , Babar , HBO Storybook Musicals , Lifestories: Families in Crisis , Dear America and The Little Lulu Show as well as acquisitions including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , The Legend of White Fang , Shakespeare: The Animated Tales , Animated Hero Classics and The Country Mouse and
9462-468: A high-definition simulcast feed on June 12, 1997, with initial plans for a rollout to television providers as early as the Summer of 1998, when electronics manufacturers planned to begin retailing their initial line of HD-capable television sets. HBO began transmitting a high definition simulcast feed on March 6, 1999, becoming the first American cable television network to begin simulcast their programming in
9711-528: A long time, of course understand that profiling is part of all detective work. It's part of all police work. If they stop calling it profiling and start calling it high-intelligence screening or something, people would go, it's about time." Maher opposed Trump's Executive Order 13769 , which banned entry into the US of citizens from five majority-Muslim countries, and has hosted multiple guests, including Sam Harris and Jim Jefferies , on his show who have also opposed
9960-455: A long-running children's television series that had previously aired on the program's longtime broadcaster, PBS (and its morning block), for the vast majority of its run, in a five-year programming and development deal with Sesame Workshop that was announced in August 2015. Although struck with the intent to have the show remain on PBS in some fashion, the nonprofit production company reached
10209-504: A lot of illness was the result of poor diet and lack of exercise, and that medicine was often not the most appropriate way of addressing illness. In an episode of his show about the 2008 presidential candidates' health plans, Maher stated that poor nutrition was a primary cause of illness, and that "the answer isn't another pill." He also has said: "If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do, then you're already on drugs!" He has expressed his distaste for
Bill Maher - Misplaced Pages Continue
10458-592: A multiple-episode arc. Seinfeld appeared on an episode of the Starz original series Head Case . As was the case in many of his previous guest appearances on sitcoms, he played himself. In Australia , Seinfeld appeared on a series of advertisements for the Greater Building Society , a building society based in New South Wales and southeastern Queensland . His appearance in these ads
10707-494: A new 24-episode season. The series was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Webby Awards . It's very important to know what you don't like. A big part of innovation is saying, "You know what I'm really sick of?" For me, that was talk shows where music plays, somebody walks out to a desk, shakes hands with the host, and sits down. "How are you?" "You look great." I'm also sick of people who are really there to sell their show or product. "What am I really sick of?"
10956-408: A nightly block), would become strongly associated with the channel among its subscribers and in pop culture . The channel began gradually scaling back its adult programming offerings in 2011, in an effort to shift focus towards its mainstream films and original programs, culminating in the removal of "Max After Dark" content from its linear and on-demand platforms in 2018, as part of a broader exit from
11205-650: A now-defunct service owned by Group W Satellite Communications that focused on G- and PG-rated films. Cinemax succeeded in its early years partly because it relied on classic movie releases from the 1950s to the 1970s—with some more recent films mixed into its schedule—that it presented uncut and without commercial interruption, at a time when limited headend channel capacity resulted in cable subscribers only being able to receive as many as three dozen channels (up to half of which were reserved for local and out-of-market broadcast stations, and public access channels). In most cases, cable operators tended to sell Cinemax and HBO as
11454-487: A particular religion. He said in a later interview: "It's ridiculous to label criticism of a religion as a phobia of a religion. I'm going to criticize any person or group that violates liberal principles...." Maher favors the ending of corporate welfare and federal funding of non-profits ; he also favors the legalization of gambling, prostitution, and cannabis. Maher also supports the death penalty. Maher describes himself as an environmentalist, and he has spoken in favor of
11703-417: A pedophile ring out of a pizza parlor !" Maher later said in an August 15, 2020, interview with Vanity Fair that "we've baked it into the cake that he's not going to leave." In the September 25, 2020, edition of Real Time , Maher criticized the framing of a New York Times story by Michael Crowley headlined "Trump Won't Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power", which ran on page 15 of the print edition of
11952-427: A personal archives website at JerrySeinfeld.com and appeared in the HBO special Talking Funny with fellow comedians Chris Rock , Louis C.K. , and Ricky Gervais in the same year. In 2012, Seinfeld started a web series titled Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee , in which he would pick up a fellow comedian in a different car each episode and take them out for coffee and conversation. The show originally aired on
12201-847: A physician, have called Maher's criticism of the H1N1 flu vaccinations unscientific. Infectious diseases expert Paul Offit wrote that misinformation about vaccines from celebrities like Maher has put children at unnecessary risk. Surgical Oncologist David Gorski criticized Maher's claims about vaccines several times on ScienceBlogs , and deemed it inappropriate that Maher received the Richard Dawkins Award. Skeptics, including magician and popular science writer Martin Gardner , neurologist Steven Novella , and magician Jamy Ian Swiss have also strongly rebuked Maher, characterizing him as anti-science, uninformed and potentially endangering
12450-439: A premium add-on through Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV , AT&T TV and Hulu . On October 15, 2014, HBO announced plans to launch an OTT subscription streaming service in 2015, which would be distributed as a standalone offering that does not require an existing television subscription to access the content. The service, HBO Now, was unveiled on March 9, 2015, and officially launched one month later on April 7. The service
12699-500: A program up to four hours, depending on the applicable time zone, in advance of their local airtime on their corresponding primary coastal feed. (Most cable, satellite, and IPTV providers, as well as its Amazon Prime Video and Roku OTT channels, only offer the East and West Coast feeds of the main HBO channel; some conventional television providers may include coastal feeds of HBO2 in certain areas, while wider availability of coastal feeds for
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#173278006434012948-410: A proud gun owner is akin to "saying I'm a 'proud remote control owner ' ". Maher has stated that statistics showing that gun owners are more likely to harm a member of their household are caused by irresponsible gun owners, and believes that tragedies such as school shootings will not lead to a fundamental change in gun laws because both Democrats and Republicans favor guns. Maher has also questioned
13197-409: A really big difference between an atheist and someone who just doesn't believe in religion. Religion to me is a bureaucracy between man and God that I don't need, but I'm not an atheist, no." Maher has occasionally referred to himself as an apatheist, saying in 2011 "I don't know what happens when you die, and I don't care." When discussing his apatheism and his views on the existence of God, he said on
13446-466: A restaurant, and that was it." Early in their relationship, Spy magazine referred to Lonstein as "a legal voter". In an October 1993 Playboy interview, Seinfeld described the reactions to the relationship as ranging "from horrified to just busting buttons with pride that they know me", noting that his female acquaintances had overall reacted more negatively than his male ones. He said that his assistant "was so mad" she punched him, whereas his mother
13695-470: A scale from 1 to 7 (7 being "absolutely certain there is no god"), he was only at 6.9, like Richard Dawkins , "because we just don't know ... but we just don't think about it." He added, "There's atheist and there's agnostic, and I'm okay with us not splitting the difference on those; if you are just not a super-religious person, you are on my team." Several months later on a 2012 episode of his HBO show, Maher declared that "idiots must stop claiming that atheism
13944-487: A singular premium bundle, usually offered at a discount for customers that decided to subscribe to both channels. Cinemax, unlike HBO, also maintained a 24-hour schedule from its launch, one of the first pay cable services to transmit around the clock. Even early in its existence, Cinemax tried to diversify its programming beyond movies. Beginning in 1984, it incorporated music specials and some limited original programming (among them, SCTV Channel and Max Headroom ) into
14193-676: A sister production unit HBO Films , which traces its origins to the 1983 founding of HBO Premiere Films. Originally developed to produce original television movies and miniseries with higher budgets and production values than other telefilms, the film unit's first original movie project was the 1983 biopic The Terry Fox Story . Differing from other direct-to-cable television films, most of HBO's original movies have been helmed by major film actors (such as James Stewart , Michael Douglas , Drew Barrymore , Stanley Tucci , Halle Berry and Elizabeth Taylor ). The unit—which would be rechristened HBO Pictures in 1985—expanded beyond its telefilm slate, which
14442-684: A specially recorded interview for the Today show. On November 18, 2004, Seinfeld appeared at the National Museum of American History to donate the "puffy shirt" he wore in the Seinfeld episode of the same name . He also gave a speech when presenting the "puffy shirt," saying humorously that "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life." On May 13, 2006, Seinfeld had a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live as host Julia Louis-Dreyfus' assassin. Louis-Dreyfus in her opening monologue mentioned
14691-608: A spoof of Christian-run hell houses . The show was a faithful reproduction of an evangelistic scare-experience written by Reverend Keenan Roberts to terrify teenagers into declaring themselves Christians. "Our faith is that putting this up as itself, it will hoist itself on its own petard, that it's comical just as it is," explained producer Maggie Rowe. The show featured a rotating cast of over 160 celebrities, including Andy Richter (Jesus), Richard Belzer , Dave Thomas , Traci Lords , Craig Bierko , Sarah Silverman , and Julia Sweeney . Maher and director Larry Charles teamed up to make
14940-474: A statement apologizing for the remarks, saying in part, "I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive, and I regret saying it and am very sorry". Maher apologized on his show and had a discussion with Michael Eric Dyson , Ice Cube , and Symone Sanders about the controversy. In 2021, Maher opposed the NFL's decision to play the " Black national anthem " before games, considering it
15189-417: A subscription to a multichannel television provider (34.939 million of which receive HBO's primary channel at minimum), giving it the largest subscriber total of any American premium channel. (From 2006 to 2018, this distinction was held by Starz Encore —currently owned by Lionsgate subsidiary Starz Inc. —which, according to February 2015 Nielsen estimates, had 40.54 million pay subscribers vs.
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#173278006434015438-469: A surprise guest appearance on The Howard Stern Show , ending the feud the two had in the early 1990s. Seinfeld toured the U.S. in 2011 and made his first stand-up appearance in the United Kingdom in 11 years. In July 2011, he was a surprise guest on The Daily Show , helping Jon Stewart to suppress his urge to tell "cheap" "Michele Bachmann's husband acts gay" jokes. Seinfeld also launched
15687-688: A test launch of the three channels over those systems, TeleCable customers in Overland Park, Kansas ; Racine, Wisconsin ; and suburban Dallas ( Richardson and Plano, Texas ) that subscribed to either service began receiving two additional HBO channels or a secondary channel of Cinemax. HBO2 (later renamed HBO Plus, then reverted to its original name), HBO3 (now HBO Signature), and Cinemax 2 (now MoreMax) each offered distinct schedules of programs culled from HBO and Cinemax's movie and original programming libraries separate from offerings shown concurrently on their respective parent primary channels. (Cinemax
15936-456: A two-day weekend (later extended to three days in 1997, then to a Friday-to-Monday "four-day weekend" format by 2008)—over a local origination channel, though satellite and digital cable providers elected instead to unencrypt the channels corresponding to each HBO feed for the preview period. Until 2002, interstitials hosted by on-air presenters (notably including, among others, Norm Crosby , Greg Kinnear , Sinbad and Ellen DeGeneres ) promoting
16185-502: A two-hour interview with Kanye West recorded for Club Random because of the rapper's recent antisemitic comments. In March 2024, Maher announced that he was starting a podcast network with Chris Casey and Chuck LaBella called Club Random Studios. On March 15, 2024, it was revealed that Maher ended his affiliation with the CAA talent agency after being snubbed from Bryan Lourd 's private Oscar party. In May 2024, Maher told Jerry Seinfeld on
16434-567: A unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery . The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan . Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy, and concert specials , and periodic interstitial programs (consisting of short films and making-of documentaries). HBO
16683-424: A voluntary participation basis. (The total of participating providers that elected to offer a free preview event varies depending on the given preview period, and participating multiple-system cable operators may elect to carry the event only in certain regions where they provide service.) HBO also produces short segments promoting newer movies with the cooperation of the film studios that hold distribution rights to
16932-503: A weekly hour-long political comedy talk show on the cable television network HBO . In 2016, HBO renewed Real Time through 2018, for its 15th and 16th seasons. During an interview, Maher told Terry Gross (on NPR's Fresh Air ) that he much prefers having serious and well-informed guests on his program, as opposed to the random celebrities that fleshed out his roundtable discussions on Politically Incorrect . As with his previous show, Politically Incorrect , Maher begins Real Time with
17181-554: Is HBO's companion subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service that is available at no additional cost to subscribers of the linear television service, who regularly pay a premium fee to pay television providers to receive access to the channel. VOD content from the network is also available on select virtual MVPD services (including DirecTV Stream , YouTube TV and Hulu ), and through HBO's dedicated Roku video channel. HBO on Demand offers theatrical feature films from HBO's distribution partners and original programming previously seen on
17430-610: Is a high definition simulcast feed of HBO that broadcasts in the 1080i resolution format. HBO maintains high definition simulcast feeds of its main channel and all six multiplex channels. HBO HD is available on all major cable television providers including, among others, Charter Communications (including systems once owned by former HBO sister company Time Warner Cable); Comcast Xfinity (which, in 2016, began downconverting HBO, Cinemax and other cable channels transmitting in 1080i to 720p 60); Cox Communications and Optimum ; as well as DirecTV ; AT&T U-verse ; and Verizon FiOS . From
17679-699: Is a big difference between collateral damage and what Hamas did." In April 2020, Maher criticized those who equated using the term " Wuhan virus " with racism , stating, "Scientists...have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time. Zika is from the Zika Forest , Ebola from the Ebola River , hantavirus the Hantan River . There's the West Nile virus and Guinea worm and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and, of course,
17928-534: Is a fan of the New York Mets , and periodically calls Steve Somers ' show on WFAN -AM, a sports talk radio station, as "Jerry from Queens." Seinfeld called four innings of a Mets game on SportsNet New York on June 23, 2010, reuniting with analyst Keith Hernandez , who appeared in the Seinfeld two-part episode entitled " The Boyfriend ." According to Seinfeld, he thinks about baseball "all day" and has said "when I think of retirement, all I would think of
18177-414: Is a frequent commentator on various cable news networks, including CNN , MSNBC , Fox News , and HLN . Maher has regularly appeared on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and has also been a frequent guest on MSNBC 's Hardball with Chris Matthews , The Rachel Maddow Show , and Countdown with Keith Olbermann . Maher has also appeared as a guest on HLN 's The Joy Behar Show . He wrote
18426-439: Is a religion ... believe it or not, I don't really enjoy talking about religion all the time. In fact, not only is atheism not a religion, it's not even my hobby, and that's the best thing about being an atheist. It requires so little of your time." He has reiterated his stance during other interviews, rejecting both the certitude of the existence, as well as the certitude of nonexistence of deities, concluding, "I'm saying that doubt
18675-629: Is also responsible for promoting many of the major motion picture releases, via its behind-the-scenes featurette programs. HBO, via the beyond-the-scenes interstitial programs was the first network to promote many of these movies. They included, but were not limited to, The Godfather , The Godfather Part 2 , French Connection 2 , Jaws , Halloween , Star Wars , Star Trek , 9 to 5 , Sixteen Candles , Mac and Me , Home Alone , Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , A Few Good Men , Scream , and I Know What You Did Last Summer . In
18924-472: Is always some variation of 'We have to win big!'... First of all, NO! No, we don't have to win by a landslide! Jesus, fucking Democrats! I am so sick of Democrats volunteering to play by two different sets of rules. That's the new paradigm? Republicans can win by one vote, but we're not legitimate unless it's a landslide? Fuck. And two, do you really think it would matter if it was? That they would suddenly get rational about math and facts? They believe Hillary ran
19173-451: Is an American stand-up comedian , actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy . Seinfeld has received numerous accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award , a Golden Globe Awards , and three Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for four Grammy Awards . In 2004, Comedy Central named him the 12th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time. In 2017, Rolling Stone named him
19422-588: Is developed for and production is primarily, if not exclusively, handled by the channel of its originating broadcast. Since 1973, the network has produced a variety of original programs alongside its slate of theatrical motion pictures. Most of these programs cater to adult viewers (and, with limited exceptions, are typically assigned TV-MA ratings ), often featuring—with such content varying by program—high amounts of profanity, violence, sexual themes or nudity that basic cable or over-the-air broadcast channels would be reticent to air because of objections from sponsors and
19671-468: Is going to a baseball game every day." Seinfeld is left-handed and the first joke he ever wrote was about the topic. In a 2014 interview with NBC News , he made statements suggesting that he believed he was on the autism spectrum . However, following criticism for his alleged self-diagnosis , he later clarified that he is not autistic and had been commenting on a play about the condition that he "related to [...] on some level." Years before Seinfeld
19920-474: Is pretty amazing; it doesn't get sick, usually, for no reason. I mean, there's some genetic stuff that can get to you, but, basically, people are sick in this country because they're poisoned. The environment is a poisoning factor, but also, we gotta say, they poison themselves. They eat shit. People eat shit, and that's, to my way of thinking, about 90 percent of why people are sick, is because they eat shit." Tara Parker-Pope and former Senator (R-TN) Bill Frist ,
20169-469: Is primarily an adaptation of his stand-up material. The title comes from an article in Entertainment Weekly listing the numerous catchphrases for which the show was responsible. In 2002, he wrote the children's book Halloween . The book was illustrated by James Bennett. Seinfeld wrote the forewords to Ted L. Nancy 's Letters from a Nut series of books and Ed Broth 's Stories from
20418-524: Is that liberals protect people, and P.C. people protect feelings." In the past, he has also described himself as a libertarian , and has also referred to himself "as a progressive , as a sane person". In a 2012 panel discussion with Salman Rushdie , Maher counted himself, Rushdie, and others such as Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris as "9/11 liberals", noting that they differentiate themselves from many mainstream liberals in saying that not all religions are alike and that they are not bigoted in criticizing
20667-408: Is the centerpiece of Max (previously HBO Max from 2020 to 2023), an expanded streaming platform operated separately from but sharing management with Home Box Office, Inc., which also includes original programming produced exclusively for the service and content from other Warner Bros. Discovery properties. Livestreams of the network's linear East and West Coast feeds are not presently accessible on
20916-432: Is the oldest subscription television service in the United States still in operation, as well as the country's first cable-originated television network (both as a regional microwave - and national satellite -transmitted service). HBO pioneered modern pay television upon its launch on November 8, 1972: it was the first television service to be directly transmitted and distributed to individual cable television systems, and
21165-755: Is the only appropriate response for human beings." While critical of all organized religions, saying "they're all stupid and dangerous", Maher says all religions are not alike, and has drawn comparisons and contrasts between them. He has said, "By any standard, Mormonism is more ridiculous than any other religion." He has referred to tenets of Judaism as "insane" and "funny", and has said that Buddhism includes some crazy things like " reincarnation ". He has described Christianity and Islam as more "warlike", and has asserted that, like historic Christianity, present-day Islam needs to undergo its own reformation and enlightenment . In defense of his criticism of Islam , Sharia law and Muslim culture , Maher says he "believes in
21414-517: Is where innovation begins. –Seinfeld, talking about his process of innovation. In June 2013, Seinfeld appeared on rapper Wale 's album The Gifted , on the song "Outro About Nothing." Seinfeld received coverage for his speech at the 2014 Clio Awards ceremony, where he received an honorary award, as media reporters said that he "mocked" and "ripped apart" the advertising industry; his statement that "I love advertising because I love lying" received particular attention. In 2014, Seinfeld hosted
21663-499: The 79th Academy Awards as the presenter for "Best Documentary." Before announcing the nominations, he did a monologue about the unspoken agreement between movie theater owners and movie patrons. On October 4, 2007, Seinfeld made a guest appearance as himself in the 30 Rock episode " SeinfeldVision ." On February 24, 2008, at the 80th Academy Awards , Seinfeld appeared as the voice of his Bee Movie animated character Barry, presenting Best Animated Short Film . Before announcing
21912-471: The Associated Press reported that Jerry Seinfeld would be the pitchman for Windows Vista , as part of a $ 300-million advertising campaign by Microsoft. The ads, which were intended to create interest for Windows in support of the subsequent "I'm a PC" advertisements, began airing in mid-September 2008. They were cut from television after three installments; Microsoft opted to continue with the "I'm
22161-576: The COVID-19 lab leak theory . On April 16, 2021, Maher called media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic "panic porn" and added that "When all of our sources for medical information have an agenda to spin us, yeah, you wind up with a badly misinformed population, including on the left." HBO Home Box Office ( HBO ) is an American pay television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. , itself
22410-570: The COVID-19 pandemic to contractually transfer their credentials to HBO Max), though only through the HBO Go desktop website. The "HBO Go" moniker remains in use as the brand for HBO's streaming platforms in select Asian markets until it would be also rebranded directly into Max in fall-2024. HBO Now (formally named HBO from August to December 2020) was an over-the-top (OTT) subscription streaming service that provided on-demand access to HBO's library of original programming and theatrical films, and
22659-482: The Club Random podcast that "after this year, I'm going to stop doing [stand-up]". On July 19, 2024, it was confirmed that Maher would now be represented in all areas of entertainment by WME . Maher often eschews political labels, referring to himself as "practical"; however, he has generally held moderately liberal views over the years. Maher stands against political correctness . In his words, "The difference
22908-749: The Crackle streaming service and then was bought by Netflix . The initial series consisted of ten episodes lasting from 7 to 25 minutes each. The show has continued to get high-profile guests such as Alec Baldwin , Mel Brooks , Bill Burr , Dave Chappelle , Louis C.K. , Larry David , Ellen DeGeneres , Tina Fey , David Letterman , Jerry Lewis , Steve Martin , John Mulaney , Eddie Murphy , Carl Reiner , Don Rickles , Chris Rock , Howard Stern , and Jon Stewart . The show has also hosted Seinfeld alums Larry David , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Jason Alexander , and Michael Richards . Season seven featured its most high-profile guest, then-President Barack Obama . In
23157-481: The Curb finale is meant to rewrite the Seinfeld ending in any way, it’s during that first scene between Jerry and Larry. They’re playing out the kind of scene they used to write for Jerry and George, and getting that silly, joyful spark between two TV legends — even for a moment — is pure bliss". Seinfeld wrote the book SeinLanguage , released in 1993. Written as his television show was first rising in popularity, it
23406-689: The HBO First Look series of 15-to-20-minute-long documentary-style interstitial specials, which debuted in 1992 and has no set airing schedule. (Since 2010, the "making of" specials, for which HBO officially no longer uses the First Look name, are only identified under the banner for program listing identification.) The network previously produced three-to-five-minute-long feature segments that aired during longer-duration between-program promotional breaks, HBO News (1988–2011; formerly titled HBO Entertainment News from 1988 to 2007) and HBO Behind
23655-572: The Kyoto treaty on global warming on his show Real Time . He often criticizes industry figures involved in environmental pollution. He is a board member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals . The comedian has noted the paradox of people claiming they distrusted "elite" politicians while at the same time wanting elite doctors to treat them and elite lawyers to represent them in court. Maher considers himself to be at odds with both
23904-454: The October 7 attacks by Hamas militants on Israel , Maher spoke about it as Israel's 9/11 , and took serious issue with people who seemed to applaud these attacks; however, he cautioned Israel not to "lose the moral high ground" in the 2023 Israel-Hamas war . Maher expressed disappointment with former President Barack Obama over his comments on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war , saying that "there
24153-582: The Republican Party and the Democratic Party . In the 2008 U.S. presidential election , Maher announced his support for U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL). Although Maher welcomed Obama's electoral victory, he soon became critical of the new president for not acting more boldly on health care reform and other progressive issues. On February 23, 2012, after his "Crazy Stupid Politics" special streamed on Yahoo! Screen, Maher announced that he
24402-681: The Spanish flu ." He added: "This has nothing to do with Asian Americans, and it has everything to do with China." In March 2021, Maher criticized China's treatment of Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. He said the United States has " lost " to China in the " battle for the 21st century ." According to Maher, China is dominating the world while the United States is wasting time in a "never-ending woke competition." In June 2017, Maher came under criticism for saying in an off-the-cuff joke "I'm
24651-560: The State University of New York at Oswego , and transferred after his second year to Queens College, City University of New York , from which he graduated in 1976 with a degree in communications and theater. Seinfeld developed an interest in stand-up comedy after brief stints in college productions. He appeared on open-mic nights at Budd Friedman's Improv Club while attending Queens College . After graduation in 1976, he tried out at an open-mic night at New York City's Catch
24900-727: The difference in local airtimes for a particular movie or program between two geographic locations being three hours at most; the opposite-region feed (i.e., the Pacific Time feeds in the Eastern and Central Time Zones, and the Eastern Time feeds in the Pacific, Mountain and Alaska Time Zones ) serves as a timeshift channel , allowing viewers who may have missed a particular program at its original local airtime to watch it three hours after its initial airing or allowing them to watch
25149-431: The free preview concept—now a standard promotional tool in the pay television industry—in 1973, as a marketing strategy allowing participating television providers to offer a sampling of HBO's programming for potential subscribers of the service. Cable providers were permitted to offer the unscrambled HBO content—aired for a single evening or, beginning in 1981 at the network level (as early as 1978 on some providers), over
25398-483: The history of racism . In November 2015, Maher expressed opposition to the United States accepting Syrian refugees . Maher argued that they have different values which are at odds with American values due to some refugees may be coming from places which are governed by Sharia law or want to be. Maher cited cases in the UK where Muslim immigrants had carried out female genital mutilation and honor killings . In 2021, after
25647-410: The legalization of cannabis , serving on the advisory board of NORML . In 2005, Maher ranked at No. 38 on Comedy Central 's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. He received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2010. Maher has earned 41 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for his work as executive producer for Vice in 2014. He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and
25896-431: The major Hollywood film studios and live sporting events, all presented without interruptions by advertising and sold for a flat monthly fee to prospective subscribers. On November 2, 1971, Time Inc.'s board of directors approved the "Green Channel" proposal, agreeing to give Dolan a $ 150,000 development grant for the project. Time-Life and Sterling Communications soon proposed for the " Sterling Cable Network " to be
26145-443: The pharmaceutical and health care industries in general, arguing that they made their money out of treating people who are made sick by consuming unhealthy food that corporations push on the public. Maher maintains that mass consumption of high-fructose corn syrup is a contributor to the rise in frequency of obesity in the United States . In a discussion with Michael Moore about the film Sicko , Maher said, "The human body
26394-456: The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan , Maher urged America to take in Afghan refugees . Maher has criticized Donald Trump's opposition to immigration, including his proposed border wall , and accused him of hypocrisy, having himself married two immigrants. Maher has also accused Republicans of hypocrisy for opposing immigration and praising their immigrant parents, saying "You can't spend
26643-402: The "Breaking Bread" podcast, stating "I don't think, as I said, 'the extreme left' has done anything to inhibit the art of comedy. I'm taking that back officially." Seinfeld said he regrets his previous comments because changing cultural attitudes are "not [his] business." In December 2012, Seinfeld said that he had been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 40 years. He promoted the use of
26892-670: The "HBO2" moniker in September 2002. The "HBO Plus" brand—modified in 2019 to "HBO+"—remains in use on a multiplex channel of HBO Latin America featuring mainly theatrical movies previously carried on its parent feed; HBO Latin America also operates a separate channel sharing the "HBO2" name with the shared U.S. namesake of both services.) On May 6, 1999, the HBO multiplex expanded to include two new thematic channels: HBO Comedy—featuring comedic feature films, comedy series from HBO's original programming library, and recent and archived HBO comedy specials—and HBO Zone—aimed at young adults between
27141-961: The "Questions from the Audience" segment, which included cameos from Michael Douglas , John Goodman , James Franco , Larry David , Ellen Cleghorne , Dakota Johnson , Tim Meadows , Bob Odenkirk , and Sarah Palin (who Seinfeld initially mistook for Tina Fey ). On May 20, 2015, Seinfeld made a guest appearance on David Letterman 's final Late Show episode. Seinfeld joined guests including Alec Baldwin , Barbara Walters , Steve Martin , Jim Carrey , Chris Rock , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Peyton Manning , Tina Fey , and Bill Murray who all participated in The Top Ten List segment, "Things I've Always Wanted to Say to Dave." In January 2017, Seinfeld went on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and joined Dave Chappelle and Jimmy Fallon in honoring outgoing First Lady Michelle Obama , and played
27390-513: The "Saturday Night Guarantee" to denote a promise of "a new movie [premiering] every Saturday night" all 52 weeks of the year. (HBO had highlighted said "guarantee" in promotions for the Saturday premiere night dating to January 1994.) Before settling on having Saturday serve as its anchor premiere night, the scheduling of HBO's prime-time film premieres varied between Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday, depending on competition from broadcast fare during
27639-401: The "Seinfeld curse." While talking about how ridiculous the "curse" was, a stage light suddenly fell next to her. The camera moved to a catwalk above the stage where Seinfeld was standing, holding a large pair of bolt cutters. He angrily muttered, "Damn it!" upset that it did not hit her. Louis-Dreyfus continued to say that she is indeed not cursed. On February 25, 2007, Seinfeld appeared at
27888-407: The $ 17,000 Elektra Belle Epoque and two machines manufactured by Slayer and Breville . Seinfeld described his single-group Slayer machine, which costs upwards of $ 8,500, as a "beautiful machine." When NPR asked him about the influence of coffee culture in the U.S. , Seinfeld responded in 2013: I never liked [coffee] and I didn't understand it and I used to do a lot of stuff in my stand-up set in
28137-404: The '80s and '90s about how I don't 'get' coffee. And then something happened about five years ago. I started touring a lot, and we would have these great big, fun breakfasts in the hotel and [coffee] just seemed to go really well [with breakfast]. [Now], I've just started this espresso thing. In a May 2024 GQ interview titled "10 Things Jerry Seinfeld Can't Live Without", Seinfeld revealed that
28386-569: The 1990s for storage of some of the vehicles in the collection. In 2002, Seinfeld purchased property on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City where he built a $ 1.4 million two-story garage to store part of his Porsche collection on the East Coast. One tally has Seinfeld owning 43 Porsches. Paul Bannister has written that Seinfeld's collection includes Porsche 911s from various years, 10 Porsche Boxsters each painted
28635-807: The 1990s. (Outside of HBO Family, which regularly airs archived family-oriented series and specials, airings of older original programs may vary based on the channel's daily schedule.) Beginning with its programming expansion to afternoons in 1974, the primary HBO channel had imposed a longstanding watershed policy prohibiting films assigned an "R" rating from being broadcast before 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. (At various points, HBO also prohibited showings of X-/NC-17-rated and foreign art films .) The policy—which extended to films shown between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, when HBO began offering 24-hour programming on weekends in September 1981—may have once stemmed from HBO's pre-mid-2000s availability on analog cable tiers (whereas its multiplex channels generally require
28884-539: The 2008 rollout of HD simulcasts for the HBO multiplex feeds until the mid-2010s, the majority of pay television providers that carried HBO HD generally offered only the main channel in high definition, with HD carriage of the multiplex channels varying by market. As of 2020 , most providers transmit all seven HBO multiplex channels in HD, either on a dedicated HD channel tier separate from their SD assignments or as hybrid SD/HD feeds. Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to launch
29133-448: The 35.8 million subscribers that HBO had at the time.) In addition to its U.S. subscriber base, HBO distributes its programming content in at least 151 countries worldwide too, as of 2018 , an estimated 140 million cumulative subscribers. Cable television executive Charles Dolan —through his company, Sterling Information Services—founded Manhattan Cable TV Services (renamed Sterling Manhattan Cable Television in January 1971),
29382-479: The 7th-greatest stand-up comedian of all time. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), which he co-created and wrote with Larry David . Seinfeld earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1995. The show is one of the most acclaimed and popular sitcoms of all time. He has since created and produced
29631-492: The Avocado Jungle of Death (1988), Newhart (1988), hosted the talk show Midnight Hour on CBS (1990) and Pizza Man (1991). Maher assumed the host role on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher , a late-night political talk show that ran on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997 and on ABC from 1997 to 2002. The show regularly began with a topical monologue by Maher preceding the introduction of four guests, usually
29880-552: The City Mouse Adventures . Beginning in 2001, most of the family- or kid-oriented programs had migrated to HBO Family, with only a limited amount of newer family-oriented series being produced for either the primary channel or HBO Family since. (HBO Family continued to maintain a limited slate of original children's programming until 2003.) HBO ventured back into children's programming with its acquisition of first-run broadcast and streaming rights to Sesame Street ,
30129-711: The Democratic party's nomination in order to have an open convention at the Democratic Convention ; Maher expressed his support for Gavin Newsom to replace Biden as the party's nominee. On June 7, 2013, Maher expressed on his show limited support for the NSA's PRISM intelligence data collection from private phone calls and the Internet, saying that the threat of terrorists obtaining and using nuclear weapons
30378-904: The Dragon , The Last of Us , and True Detective ; comedies such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Righteous Gemstones ; and topical satires Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Real Time with Bill Maher ). In addition, HBO also carries documentary films (mainly produced through its in-house production unit HBO Documentary Films), sports-focused documentary and magazine series (produced through its HBO Sports production unit), occasional original made-for-TV movies, occasional original concert and stand-up comedy specials, and short-form behind-the-scenes specials centered mainly on theatrical films (either running in their initial theatrical or HBO/Cinemax broadcast window). Newer episodes of most HBO original programs usually air over its main channel after 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time; depending partly on
30627-530: The February 2004 issue of Automobile , reviewing the Porsche Carrera GT . In 2008, Seinfeld was involved in a car accident when the brakes on his 1967 Fiat 500 failed and, to avoid an intersection, he pulled the emergency brake while turning sharply, ultimately causing the car to flip onto its side. No one was hurt. A coffee aficionado, Seinfeld owns multiple espresso machines , including
30876-541: The Jews in Israel are mostly white and Palestinians are mostly brown, so they must be innocent and correct and the Jews must be wrong." He responded to Rep. Rashida Tlaib 's call to boycott his talk show: "Some people have one move only: boycott. Cancel . Make-go-away. But here's the thing, the house voted 318 to 17 to condemn the #BDS movement, including 93% of Dems. Does Tlaib want to boycott 93% of her own party?". Condemning
31125-481: The Last Time (1998), Jerry Before Seinfeld (2017) and 23 Hours to Kill (2020). Seinfeld has also written three books starting with SeinLanguage (1993), followed by the children's book Halloween (2002), and the comedic compilation book Is This Anything? (2020). He is an avid fan of coffee and automobiles . He practices transcendental meditation . He is married to author and philanthropist Jessica Seinfeld , with whom he has three children. Seinfeld
31374-577: The Magnolia Network occurred on January 5, 2022. In April 2022, Discovery Inc. merged with WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery . On April 7, 2022, it was reported that after the completion of the merger, Magnolia Network leadership would report to HBO and HBO Max 's chief content officer Casey Bloys rather than directly to Zaslav, nor Kathleen Finch (who previously oversaw Discovery's lifestyle brands, and now oversees most of Warner Bros. Discovery's U.S. cable networks); Deadline suggested
31623-463: The Max streaming app, but are available via its a la carte add-ons sold through Prime Video Channels , YouTube Primetime Channels and virtual pay television providers Hulu and YouTube TV (both of which sell their HBO/Max add-ons independently of their respective live TV tiers). As of September 2018 , HBO's programming was available to approximately 35.656 million U.S. households that had
31872-597: The Northern New South Wales television market, where the society has most of its branches. Seinfeld was the first guest on Jay Leno 's talk show The Jay Leno Show , which premiered on September 14, 2009. Seinfeld was featured on Saturday Night Live ' s Weekend Update sketch to do the "Really!?!" segment with Seth Meyers . He executive produced and regularly appeared as a panelist in The Marriage Ref . On August 30, 2010, Seinfeld made
32121-563: The Opera (1935), and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Those influenced by Seinfeld include John Mulaney , Ellen DeGeneres , Jim Gaffigan , Judd Apatow , Issa Rae , Nate Bargatze , and Mark Normand . On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , Steve Martin described Seinfeld as one of his "retro heroes" saying "[He's] a guy who came up behind me and is better than I am. I think he's fantastic, I love to listen to him, he almost puts me at peace. I love to listen to him talk". Seinfeld
32370-502: The Saturday 8:00 slot has been occupied by premieres of original specials and documentaries (scheduled at least once per month) and, since late December 2020, airings of older hit movies (mainly films released between 1979 and 2015) distributed under library content deals during gap weeks in the monthly premiere schedule. As of 2024, HBO and sister channel Cinemax (as well as their associated streaming platforms) maintain exclusive licensing agreements to first-run and library film content from
32619-626: The Scenes (1982–1992). The interstitials—particularly those aired as episodes of First Look —have also frequently been included as bonus features on DVD and Blu-ray releases of the profiled films. Since 2011, HBO no longer airs "behind-the-scenes" interstitials during promotional breaks, and has reduced airings of First Look to a few episodes per year as the network has honed its focus on higher-profile original programs and studios have increasingly limited their self-produced "making of" featurettes for exclusive physical and digital media release. During
32868-705: The Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America. Maher holds the record for the most Emmy nominations without a win, having been nominated on 22 occasions and not winning once. Eleven of the nominations were for Politically Incorrect , while nine were for Real Time . The other two were nominations for two of his HBO comedy specials: I'm Swiss and Bill Maher: The Decider . Maher
33117-484: The advertising slogan " Think different " and produced a 60-second commercial to promote the slogan. This commercial showed people who were able to "think differently," such as Albert Einstein , Mahatma Gandhi , Martin Luther King Jr. , and many others. It was later cut short to 30 seconds and altered such that Seinfeld was included at the end, although he had not been in the original cut. This shorter version of
33366-412: The ages of 18 and 34, offering theatrical movies; comedy and alternative series, and documentaries from HBO's original programming library; and music videos. Rounding out the HBO multiplex expansion was HBO Latino, a Spanish language network launched on November 1, 2000, featuring a mix of dubbed simulcasts of programming from the primary HBO channel as well as exclusive Spanish-originated programs. HBO
33615-467: The benefits outweigh costs. But to me living in Los Angeles? To get a flu shot? No." In 2019, Gorski again criticized Maher for his HBO interview with the doctor Jay Gordon and Maher's claims about vaccines (in particular, the influenza vaccine ), including the speculation about a link between vaccines and autism , which is debunked according to consensus science. In January 2021, Maher promoted
33864-457: The building. Say what you want about it. Not cowardly. You're right." Maher later clarified that his comment was not anti-military in any way whatsoever, referencing his well-documented longstanding support for the American military. After receiving complaints, FedEx and Sears pulled their advertisements from the show, costing the show significant revenue. Maher's remarks after 9/11 were not
34113-501: The cancellation of Politically Incorrect , Maher received the Los Angeles Press Club president's award (for "championing free speech"). Maher was on the board of judges for the 2002 PEN/Newman's Own First Amendment Award , which included writer Vanessa Leggett , imprisoned for 168 days for protecting sources and research notes. In 2003, Maher became the host, co-producer, and co-writer of Real Time with Bill Maher ,
34362-418: The channel's schedule. Around this time, Cinemax also began airing adult-oriented softcore pornographic films and series —containing strong sexual content and nudity—in varying late-night timeslots (usually no earlier than 11:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific); this programming block, originally airing under the "Friday After Dark" banner (renamed "Max After Dark" in 2008 to better reflect its prior expansion to
34611-456: The channel, which also gained exclusive streaming rights to the company's programming library for HBO Go and HBO Now (assuming those rights from Amazon Video , Netflix and Sesame Workshop's in-house subscription streaming service, Sesame Go, the latter of which will cease to operate as a standalone offering). With the debut of HBO Max in May 2020, under contract renewal terms agreed upon between
34860-632: The comedian after eight weeks. On May 13, 2016, Maher and his friend Michael Moore announced on YouTube that they are going to make a movie called The Kings of Atheism . On March 21, 2022, Maher launched a podcast titled Club Random , a series hosting one-on-one interviews with guests, recorded in his bar at home, where he discusses everything except politics. Guests have included Quentin Tarantino , Jimmy Kimmel , Bella Thorne , Judd Apatow , Mike Tyson , Killer Mike , and William Shatner . In February 2024, Maher revealed that he decided not to release
35109-585: The commercial aired only once, during the series finale of Seinfeld . In 2004, Seinfeld appeared in two commercial webisodes promoting American Express , titled The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman . In these, Seinfeld appeared with a cartoon rendering of Superman , to whom reference was made in numerous episodes of Seinfeld as Seinfeld's hero, voiced by Patrick Warburton (character David Puddy on Seinfeld ). The webisodes were directed by Barry Levinson and aired briefly on television. Seinfeld and "Superman" were also interviewed by Matt Lauer in
35358-459: The content featured in original programs shown on HBO and other premium services, with relatively limited advertiser issues.) Mainly because it is not beholden to the preferences of advertisers, HBO has long been regarded in the entertainment industry for letting program creators maintain full creative autonomy over their projects, allowing them to depict gritty subject matter that—before basic cable channels and streaming services deciding to follow
35607-503: The contractual period). Feature films from the aforementioned studios that maintain joint licensing contracts encompassing both services will typically make their premium television debut on HBO approximately two to three months before their premiere on Cinemax and vice versa. HBO's relationship with Warner Bros. began with a five-year distribution agreement signed in June 1986, encompassing films released between January 1987 and December 1992;
35856-418: The course of 20 different editions of Real Time with Bill Maher broadcast between April 13, 2018, and August 7, 2020, and in several press interviews, Maher predicted that Trump would refuse to concede any loss in the 2020 United States presidential election , dedicating a 'New Rules' end segment to the subject on January 25, 2020. Maher highlighted Trump's own public references to Maher's assertions that Trump
36105-431: The day's programming schedule, repeats of original series, made-for-cable movies, and documentaries (typically excluding programs with graphic violent or sexual content) are shown during the daytime hours on the main channel, and at various times on HBO's themed channels. Four of the themed multiplex channels—HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Comedy, and HBO Zone—also each carry archived HBO original series and specials dating to
36354-629: The daytime on Saturdays and Sundays; in January 2012, HBO began offering occasional Sunday daytime airings of R-rated films within its weekly encore showing of the Saturday movie premiere (airing as early as 4:00 p.m. ET/PT, depending on the previous night's scheduled premiere film, that film's length, and the Sunday night block of HBO original series that usually follows the rebroadcast); by 2017, afternoon R-rated movie airings (which occasionally have been shown as early as 2:00 p.m. ET/PT since then) were permitted in random afternoon timeslots any day of
36603-501: The deal due to cutbacks resulting from declines in public and private donations, distribution fees paid by PBS member stations, and licensing for merchandise sales. Through the agreement, HBO obtained first-run television rights to Sesame Street , beginning with the January 2016 debut of its 46th season (with episodes being distributed to PBS, following a nine-month exclusivity window at no charge to its member stations); Sesame Workshop also produced original children's programming content for
36852-417: The early 2000s, as the respective multiplex channels were being packaged in each tier mandatorily. In February 1996, in anticipation of the adoption of MPEG-2 digital compression codecs that would allow cable providers to offer digital cable service, Home Box Office, Inc. announced plans to expand its multiplex services across HBO and Cinemax to twelve channels (counting time zone -based feeds), encompassing
37101-479: The estimated cost of the initial pay-cable rights was between $ 300 million and $ 600 million, depending on the overall performance of Warner's films and HBO/Cinemax's respective subscriber counts. Although the Warner deal was initially non-exclusive, a preemptive strategy if its co-owned rivals Showtime and The Movie Channel (which elected not to pick up any spare Warner titles) sought full exclusivity over movie rights,
37350-557: The female-targeted WMax in May 2001); Cinemáx (a Spanish language simulcast feed, which originally launched as the young adult-focused @Max in 2001), 5StarMax (launched in May 2001) and OuterMax (launched in May 2001). Magnolia Network is an American multinational basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines , formerly known as DIY Network. In April 2019, Discovery officially announced its new venture, and that its linear television component would launch sometime in 2020, replacing DIY Network, though it
37599-411: The first SVOD service to be offered by an American premium service, launched on July 1, 2001, over then sister company Time Warner Cable's Columbia, South Carolina , system. The service was developed to allow HBO subscribers access to the channel's programming at their choosing, thereby reducing the frequency in which viewers were unable to find a program they prefer to watch and limiting cancellations to
37848-409: The first half of a debate bitching about how immigrants are ruining the country and the second half on the uplifting stories of your immigrant parents." Maher has criticized Democrats' approach to immigration and has praised Canada's system, saying "Canada is much more to the right on immigration. You have to have a skill. That's mostly what it's based on. Ours is mostly based on family." Maher endorsed
38097-537: The first sub-feeds ever offered by a subscription television service to specifically serve that time zone.) Home Box Office, Inc. began marketing the HBO channel suite and related coastal feeds under the umbrella brand "MultiChannel HBO" in September 1994; the package was rebranded as "HBO The Works", now exclusively classified to the four HBO multiplex channels (and later applied to the three thematic channels that were launched afterward), in April 1998. (The Cinemax tier
38346-478: The first time he had sparked controversy on Politically Incorrect . In the same year, he expressed his deep regrets and apologized after being widely criticized for comparing his dogs to mentally disabled children. The show was canceled on June 16, 2002; the Sinclair Broadcast Group had dropped the show from its ABC - affiliated stations several months earlier. On June 22, 2002, six days after
38595-1563: The following studios and their related subsidiaries: HBO also maintains sub-run agreements—covering television and streaming licensing of films that have previously received broadcast or syndicated television airings—for theatrical films distributed by Paramount Pictures (including content from subsidiaries or acquired library partners Miramax , Carolco Pictures , MTV Films , Nickelodeon Movies and Republic Pictures , all for films released prior to 2013), Universal Pictures (including content from subsidiaries Universal Animation Studios , DreamWorks Animation , Working Title Films , Illumination , and Focus Features , all for films released prior to 2022), Summit Entertainment (for films released prior to 2023), Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (including content from Walt Disney Pictures , 20th Century Studios , and Searchlight Pictures (except films co-produced by Pixar ), and former subsidiaries Touchstone Pictures , and Hollywood Pictures , all for films released prior to 2023), Sony Pictures Entertainment (including content from subsidiaries/library partners Columbia Pictures , Sony Pictures Classics , ELP Communications , Morgan Creek Entertainment , Screen Gems , Revolution Studios , and former HBO sister company TriStar Pictures ), and Amazon MGM Studios (including content from subsidiaries Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , Orion Pictures , United Artists , and former subsidiaries The Cannon Group , and The Samuel Goldwyn Company ). HBO also produces made-for-cable television movies through
38844-795: The foreword for the 2002 book, Spin This!: All the Ways We Don't Tell the Truth by show host Bill Press . Maher hosted the January 13, 2006, edition of Larry King Live , on which he was a frequent guest. Maher appeared as a special guest on the June 29, 2010, edition of the show, on which CNN anchor Larry King announced his retirement. Maher co-emceed the final show of Larry King Live on December 16, 2010, with Ryan Seacrest . In 2004, Maher appeared on stage as Satan in The Steve Allen Theater production of "Hollywood Hell House",
39093-543: The format. For the first 23 months of its existence, the HD feed only transmitted theatrical films from the network's programming suppliers (initially accounting for about 45% of its available feature film output, expanding to around 60% by early 2001) and HBO's in-house original movies in the format, as existing widescreen prints of those films were already scalable in the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and could readily be upconverted to HD resolution. Original programming began to be made available in HD on January 14, 2001, when
39342-514: The future of comedy during the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2024 he directed, co-wrote, and produced in the Netflix comedy film Unfrosted , a satirical spoof about the creation of Pop-Tarts . Seinfeld also starred in the film alongside Melissa McCarthy , Jim Gaffigan , and Hugh Grant . The film earned mixed reviews with The Hollywood Reporter writing the film received a "sharply divided reaction from critics". The New York Times labeled it
39591-497: The genre across Home Box Office, Inc.'s platforms. In terms of mainstream programming, Cinemax began premiering original action series in the early 2010s, beginning with the August 2011 debut of Strike Back (which has since become the channel's longest-running original program). As a consequence of WarnerMedia reallocating its programming resources toward the HBO Max streaming service, Cinemax eliminated scripted programming after
39840-592: The greatest companion technique of living that I've ever come across, and I'm thrilled to be part of this movement that seems to have really been reinvigorated by Bob [Roth] and David Lynch ," Seinfeld said. "I would do anything that I could to promote it in the world, because I think it's the greatest thing as a life tool, as a work tool and just making things make sense." Writing credits for Seinfeld The list below only includes episodes mainly written by Seinfeld, as he (and Larry David in Seasons 1 through 7) rewrote
40089-430: The headquarters of Abducted and Missing Families Forum where he met with representatives of the families and with abductees who returned from Hamas captivity, and listened to their stories. On May 12, 2024, Seinfeld gave a commencement address and received an honorary degree at Duke University . During his speech, a number of students booed, waved Palestinian flags and walked out in protest. In June 2024, Seinfeld
40338-417: The health of fans who take his "non-medical" advice. Maher responded to the criticism, saying, "What I've read about what they think I'm saying is not what I've said. I'm not a germ theory denier. I believe vaccinations can work. Polio is a good example. Do I think in certain situations that inoculating Third World children against malaria or diphtheria, or whatever, is right? Of course. In a situation like that,
40587-527: The host". Politically Incorrect won an array of awards, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Technical Direction, two CableACE awards for Best Talk Show Series, and a Genesis Award for Best Television Talk Show. Maher earned numerous award nominations for his producing, writing, and hosting of Politically Incorrect , including ten Emmy nominations, two TV Guide nominations, and two Writers Guild nominations. ABC decided against renewing Maher's contract for Politically Incorrect in 2002, after he made
40836-671: The initial airdate and usually uploaded at the normal airtime, of their original broadcast on the main linear HBO channel. By February 2019, subscribership of HBO Now subscribers had reached over 8 million customers. On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Now would be rebranded solely as HBO on August 1. Following HBO Max's launch, the HBO streaming service had served as the network's default OTT platform for Roku customers, as WarnerMedia has not yet signed deals to distribute HBO Max on that platform; until its replacement by HBO Max on those platforms in November 2020, it also served as
41085-474: The last of its remaining slate of action series ended in early 2021, shifting the channel back to its original structure as a movie-exclusive premium service. The linear Cinemax multiplex service, as of 2021 , consists of the primary feed and seven thematic channels: MoreMax (launched in April 1991 as Cinemax 2, in conjunction with HBO2's rollout); ActionMax (originally launched as Cinemax 3 in 1995); ThrillerMax (launched in 1998); MovieMax (originally launched as
41334-656: The liberals had failed to stand up to Islamic extremism. Citing studies and poll results by Pew Research Center , the World Economic Forum and others, Maher says the human rights violations and "illiberal ideas" found in Islam are not extremist views held by a small minority but are supported by a majority of citizens in Muslim countries. Maher has criticized liberals as hypocritical for defending these core liberal values and ideals only at home, while not condemning
41583-526: The mob drama, " Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood ", on March 4 was the first first-run episode of an HBO series to be transmitted in high-definition from its initial telecast, with all subsequent episodes being delivered to HBO exclusively on HD videotape (and downconverted for the main standard-definition feed). Bob Zitter, then the network's Senior Vice President of Technology Operations, disclosed to Multichannel News in January 2001 that HBO elected to delay offering its original series in high definition until there
41832-548: The model set by HBO and other pay cable services—had not usually been shown on other television platforms. During the "Executive Actions" symposium held by The Washington Post and George Washington University in April 2015 (shortly after the launch of the HBO Now streaming service), then-HBO CEO Richard Plepler said that he does not want the network to be akin to Netflix in which users " binge watch " its television shows and film content, saying "I don't think it would have been
42081-735: The modern day, HBO has been the first promoter of movies like the Saving Private Ryan , Fight Club , Antz , American Beauty , the Spider-Man franchise (2002 - 2007) by Sam Raimi , Bruce Almighty , Minority Report , Dreamcatcher , Madagascar , War of the Worlds , Monuments Men , among others. Depending on the service provider, HBO provides up to seven 24-hour multiplex channels—all of which are simulcast in both standard definition and high definition , and available as time zone-based regional feeds—as well as
42330-666: The movie Religulous , described by trade publication Variety as a documentary "that spoofs religious extremism across the world". It was released on October 3, 2008. In 2013, Maher became one of the executive producers for the HBO newsmagazine series Vice . Also in 2013, Maher appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and offered to pay $ 5 million to a charity if Donald Trump would produce his birth certificate to prove that Trump's mother had not mated with an orangutan . Maher said this in response to Trump having previously challenged President Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate, and having offered $ 5 million payable to
42579-478: The movie would air exclusively during the designated watershed period (“Home Box Office/HBO will show this feature only at night"). The watershed policy was extended to cover TV-MA-rated programs when the TV Parental Guidelines were implemented industry-wide on January 1, 1997, although HBO had already been withholding airing original programs incorporating mature content that would now qualify for
42828-530: The movie—such as boxing coverage or concerts—have caused rare variances in the preceding film's start time; if a live event was scheduled, before the December 2018 discontinuation of HBO's boxing telecasts, the premiered film would air after the event—in reverse order from the Eastern feed scheduling—on the Pacific Time Zone feed.) From June 1996 until September 2006, the presentations were marketed as
43077-732: The name of the new service. Discussions to change the service's name took place during a later meeting of Dolan and the executive staff he hired to assist in developing the project, who ultimately settled on calling it " H ome B ox O ffice ", which was meant to convey to potential customers that the service would be their " ticket " to movies and events that they could see in their own home. Home Box Office launched at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 8, 1972, initially available to subscribers of Teleservice Cable (now Service Electric Cable TV and Communications ) in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania . HBO's inaugural program and event telecast,
43326-477: The need to own large arsenals of guns. He believes the Second Amendment is " bullshit " and said that bipartisan background check legislation proposed by Pat Toomey and Joe Manchin was "so marginal". In 2022, Maher blamed mass shooting in part due to Hollywood romanticization of gun violence in movies. However Maher has said that despite him not liking guns he is glad that they exist saying it "levels
43575-422: The network (including weekly series, documentaries, sports magazine and documentary programs, and concert and stand-up comedy specials). The service's rotating program selection incorporates newer film titles and episodes that are added to the platform following their debut on the linear feed, as well as library content (including complete seasons of the network's past and present original programs). HBO on Demand,
43824-401: The network commenced a 13-week Sunday "encore" presentation of the second season of The Sopranos in remastered 1080i HD. (HBO had been requiring the producers of its original series to film their episodes in widescreen—subsequently downconverted for the standard definition feed—to fit 4:3 television screens since 1996, to future-proof them for remastering in HD.) The third-season premiere of
44073-519: The network's early years, HBO aired other interstitials in-between programs. Originally billed as Something Short and Special , around 1980, InterMissions (as the interstitials were begun to be called in September 1978) was bannered into two groupings: Video Jukebox , a showcase of music videos from various artists (eventually separated from the other intermission shorts and given various long-form spinoffs, also titled as Video Jukebox or variants thereof), and Special , showcasing short films. By 1984,
44322-440: The network's pay television contractual windows for recent studio releases and from library content agreements with film distributors) and HBO original programming (including scripted series, made-for-cable movies, comedy specials, documentaries, and sports documentary and magazine programs). HBO Go, along with companion service HBO Now and HBO Max, did not provide live simulcasts of the seven linear HBO channels. (HBO and Cinemax are
44571-472: The nomination from the Democratic Party primary elections in June 2016. In October 2016, Maher criticized WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for publishing leaks from the DNC's emails , saying: "I really feel like he's lost his way a little, and he hates Hillary." On March 31, 2017, following her defeat, Maher responded on air to suggestions Clinton was ready to end her low profile and speak out: "Hillary, stay in
44820-482: The nominees, he showed a montage of film clips featuring bees, saying that they were some of his early work (as Barry). On June 2, 2008, amidst his spring 2008 tour, Seinfeld performed in his hometown of New York City for a one-night-only show at the Hammerstein Ballroom to benefit Stand Up for a Cure , a charity aiding lung cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center . In August 2008,
45069-430: The northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England , into a national television network—in September 1975, and, alongside sister channel Cinemax , was among the first two American pay television services to offer complimentary multiplexed channels in August 1991. The network operates seven 24-hour, linear multiplex channels as well as a traditional subscription video on demand platform (HBO On Demand) and its content
45318-412: The on-demand streaming service was conceived as a TV Everywhere platform marketed exclusively to existing subscribers of the linear HBO television service. (The HBO Go website and mobile apps, including its apps for streaming devices such as Roku and Apple TV, and some video game consoles , required a password accompanying a linear HBO subscription by a participating television provider to access content on
45567-551: The only American premium television services not to include live network feeds in their proprietary streaming VOD platforms.) Based on the prototype HBO on Broadband service that was originally launched in January 2008 to linear HBO subscribers of Time Warner Cable's Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wisconsin , systems, HBO Go launched nationwide on February 18, 2010, initially available to existing HBO subscribers signed with Verizon FiOS . Initially carrying 1,000 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition,
45816-455: The oppression of these values and groups in Muslim culture. Regarding the more recent publicity generated by his stance in the ongoing debate, Maher says he thinks people are finally paying closer attention to a conversation that they need to have. "I'm just shining a light on the reality of the situation. I don't even understand why this is so controversial." Maher received the 2009 Richard Dawkins Award from Atheist Alliance International . He
46065-613: The order. In 2022, Maher criticized the Biden administration's Disinformation Governance Board and agreed with the comparison that the board was similar to the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell 's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . Maher favors having a strong military, but has said he is disenchanted with the size of the American military and defense spending . In 2015, Maher criticized Barack Obama 's visit to Saudi Arabia,
46314-573: The other five multiplex channels is limited to subscribers of DirecTV , YouTube TV and the Hulu live TV service.) HBO maintains a separate feed for the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone —the only American cable-originated television network to offer a timeshift feed for Hawaii viewers—operating a three-hour-delayed version of the primary channel's Pacific Time feed for subscribers of Oceanic Spectrum , which otherwise transmits Pacific Time feeds for
46563-416: The overnight/early morning hours on its primary and select multiplex channels, in addition to being available on demand via HBO's various streaming and television VOD platforms (including its dedicated portal on HBO Max). HBO innovated original entertainment programming for cable television networks, in which a television series (both dramatic and comedic), made-for-television movie, or entertainment special
46812-539: The paper. Maher asserted, "I got no help from the New York Times , Washington Post , [or] CNN ", adding that the media "should have amplified" the severity of Trump's threats that he would refuse to concede or commit to a peaceful transition of power . In January 2022, Maher declined to run in the 2024 United States presidential election following speculation by Dana Perino that he might be called on to do so. In July 2024, he called on Joe Biden to decline
47061-430: The playing field". Maher is highly critical of religion and views it as highly destructive. He has been described, or self-identified, variously as an agnostic, atheist , and apatheist , while objecting to having his views defined by a single label. In his 2008 feature film Religulous , he refers to himself as agnostic. He has rejected being grouped with explicit atheists, saying in 2002, "I'm not an atheist. There's
47310-439: The podcast Club Random . Maher is best known for his political satire and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, political correctness, and the mass media. His critical views of religion were the basis for his 2008 documentary film Religulous . He is a supporter of animal rights , having served on the board of PETA since 1997, and is an advisory board member of Project Reason . Maher supports
47559-497: The possibility that Magnolia Network could contribute content (such as library programs or original series) to HBO Max—noting that some of the service's scripted series have appealed to a similar adult female demographic to Magnolia Network, HBO Max's own forays into unscripted content , and reports that the Gaines had shown interest in working on scripted projects. HBO HD (originally called HBO HDTV from March 1999 until April 2006)
47808-399: The preview event—usually following the headlining prime time film—that previewed upcoming HBO programming for prospective and existing subscribers. HBO offers between three and five preview events each year—normally scheduled to coincide with the premiere of a new or returning original series, and in the past, a high-profile special or feature film—to pay television providers for distribution on
48057-470: The programming choices that would be provided to subscribers of the channel tier to that offered by multi-screen movie theaters ), each available at no extra charge to subscribers of one or both networks. (The three prior premium services that HBO launched between 1979 and 1987, Cinemax and the now-defunct Take 2 and Festival, were developed as standalone services that could be purchased separately from and optionally packaged with HBO.) On August 1, 1991, through
48306-402: The projects (almost universally by studios maintaining exclusive pay television contracts with HBO and Cinemax, and which have been rebroadcast on the former during a film's pay-cable distribution window), and have usually consisted of either interstitial "behind-the-scenes" and interview segments on an upcoming/recent theatrical release or red carpet coverage. Currently, these segments air under
48555-679: The proposal since 2011. Maher has stated that the American Medical Association is a powerful lobbying group and was one of the primary reasons why the United States had failed to enact health care reform in the decades prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act . On the topic of getting the Affordable Care Act passed, in 2009 Maher stated that Obama should forget about trying to get 60 votes for it because "he only needs 51": "Forget getting
48804-591: The provider's YouView set-top boxes via a standalone VOD subscription. HBO Go is an international TV Everywhere streaming service for broadband subscribers of the linear HBO television service. It was accessible through play.hbogo.com, and through apps for Apple iOS and Apple TV devices; Android devices and Android TV ; Amazon Fire TV ; Chromecast ; PlayStation consoles ( PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 ); Xbox One consoles; Roku devices; and most Samsung Smart TV models. Content available on HBO Go included theatrically released films (sourced from
49053-461: The reality series The Marriage Ref (2010–2011), and created and hosted the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012–2019), the latter of which earned him three Webby Awards . He also co-produced, co-wrote, and starred in the DreamWorks animated film Bee Movie (2007) and the Netflix comedy Unfrosted (2024). He has released four standup specials his first being Stand-Up Confidential (1987) followed by I'm Telling You for
49302-418: The risk of them pulling or refusing to sell their advertising depending on the objectionable material that a sponsor is comfortable placing their advertising. (Incidentally, since the early 2000s, some ad-supported basic cable channels—like FX and Comedy Central —have incorporated stronger profanity, somewhat more pervasive violence and sexual themes, and occasional nudity in their original programs, similar to
49551-532: The same people who were incredulous over how the Jews in World War II were led "to their slaughter" cannot understand why they are defending themselves now. Maher faced online backlash for tweeting at the start of the war, "Dealing w/ Hamas is like dealing w/ a crazy woman who's trying to kill u - u can only hold her wrists so long before you have to slap her". In August 2019, Maher denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, saying: "It's predicated on this notion ... I think it's very shallow thinking that
49800-445: The service and its upcoming programs to prospective subscribers aired alongside on-air promotions between programs during the preview weekend, although interstitials produced in-house or by third-party producers were inserted by some providers over the HBO feed during promo breaks for their local or regional audience; from September 1988 to September 1994, the network also aired a 15-minute-long promotional "free preview show" each night of
50049-485: The service because of that issue. On January 3, 2011, HBO became the first pay television network to offer VOD content in 3D ; initially available to linear HBO subscribers signed with Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS, 3D content consisted of theatrical feature films available in the format. In the United Kingdom, a domestic version of HBO on Demand was launched in 2015 to subscribers of IPTV provider TalkTalk TV , which provides HBO's program offerings through
50298-496: The service.) On June 12, 2020, WarnerMedia announced that HBO Go's mobile and digital media player apps would be discontinued in the U.S. on July 31, as most traditional and virtual MVPDs have secured distribution deals for HBO Max. Those providers that have not yet made an HBO Max deal continue to allow customer access to HBO Go (mainly Altice USA 's brands, Mediacom , smaller cable providers, and closed-circuit university television systems which had not had personnel available during
50547-533: The short segments had mainly been limited to comedic film shorts (originally branded as HBO Comedy Shorts and then as HBO Short Takes , which used a set of differing animated intros) and youth-targeted live action and animated short films seen largely before and during family-oriented programming (branded as HBO Shorts for Kids ). Intermission shorts had largely vanished from the channel by 1988. Since 2014, HBO has occasionally aired short films ranging between 15 and 25 minutes in length at varying times each week during
50796-454: The show starred Saturday Night Live alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus and established actors Michael Richards and Jason Alexander . Alexander played George, a caricature of Larry David . Seinfeld is the only actor to appear in every episode. After he ended his sitcom, Seinfeld moved back to New York City and returned to stand-up comedy instead of staying in Los Angeles and furthering his acting career. In 1998, he went on tour and recorded
51045-636: The six other HBO multiplex channels. (The state's other major cable provider, Hawaiian Telcom , offers the Pacific Time Zone feed of all seven channels.) Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Originally developed as a companion service to HBO, the channel's programming consists of recent and some older theatrically released feature films, original action drama series, documentaries, and special behind-the-scenes featurettes. While Cinemax and HBO operate as separate premium services, their respective channel tiers are very frequently sold as
51294-405: The sixty votes or sixty percent—sixty percent of people don't believe in evolution in this country—he just needs to drag them to it, like I said, they're stupid; get health care done, with or without them." On Fox News in a televised debate with Bill O'Reilly , Maher said that "if Jesus was in charge of the country we'd probably have health care for everybody." Maher has expressed the view that
51543-467: The special Don Rickles: One Night Only at the Apollo Theatre . The event celebrated Don Rickles and his career, but also served as a roast among friends. Those who participated in the event included Jon Stewart , David Letterman , Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Nathan Lane , Regis Philbin , Robert De Niro , and Martin Scorsese . On February 15, 2015, Seinfeld made a guest appearance on the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special , where he hosted
51792-726: The studio and WarnerMedia in October 2019, Sesame Street and other Sesame Workshop content will shift from the linear television service to the streaming-based HBO Max later in the year. On average, movies occupy between 14 and 18 hours of the daily schedule on HBO and HBO2 (or as little as 12 hours on the latter, depending upon if HBO2 is scheduled to carry an extended "catch-up" marathon of an HBO original series), and up to 20 hours per day—depending on channel format—on its five thematic multiplex channels. Since June 6, 1992, HBO has offered weekly pay television premieres of recent theatrical and original made-for-cable movies on Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. (Event presentations that have followed
52041-467: The summer of 1971, while on a family vacation to France aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 , a desperate Dolan—wanting to help Sterling Manhattan turn profitable and to prevent Time-Life, Inc. (then the book publishing unit of Time Inc. ) from pulling its investment in the system—developed a proposal for a cable-originated television channel. Codenamed " The Green Channel ", the conceptual subscription service would offer unedited theatrical movies licensed from
52290-492: The technique in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with Bob Roth of the David Lynch Foundation in December 2012 on Good Morning America , and also appeared at a 2009 David Lynch Foundation benefit for TM, at which Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr appeared. On November 5, 2015, the David Lynch Foundation organized a benefit concert at New York City's Carnegie Hall called "Change Begins Within" to promote transcendental meditation for stress control. "It's been
52539-516: The terms gave Warner an option to require HBO to acquire exclusive rights to titles covered under the remainder of the deal for $ 60 million per year (in addition to a guaranteed $ 65 million fee for each year of the contract). As a result of the 1989 Time-Warner merger, HBO and Cinemax hold pay-cable exclusivity over all newer Warner Bros. films for the duration of their joint ownership. Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( / ˈ s aɪ n f ɛ l d / SYNE -feld ; born April 29, 1954)
52788-422: The threat seriously: "So my question to all Democratic candidates is: what's the plan? If you win, and the next day he claims he's voiding the election because of irregularities he's hearing about, what do you do? What do you do when the crowd that was in Virginia this week, 22,000 strong , marches on Washington? This is a scary moment. And when I've asked Democrats, 'What do we do if he doesn't go?', their answer
53037-440: The traditional network television season. First-run theatrical films debut on average from ten months to one year after a film's initial theatrical run has concluded, and no more than six months after their DVD or digital VOD download release. COVID-19 -related postponements of newer theatrical releases by its distribution partners caused HBO to reduce the frequency of scheduled theatrical premieres in September 2020; since then,
53286-446: The unit and, since HBO became co-owned with the film division through the 1989 Time-Warner merger, distributed through Warner Bros. Entertainment. Films to which HBO maintains traditional telecast and streaming rights will usually also be shown on the Cinemax television and streaming platforms during their licensing agreement period (either after a film title completes its HBO window or transfers between services over certain months during
53535-479: The values that Western people believe in which a lot of the Muslim world does not. Like separation of church and state . Like equality of the sexes . Like respect for minorities , free elections , free speech , freedom to gather . These things are not just different from cultures that don't have them.... It's better ... I would like to keep those values here." In 2017, Maher agreed with the author Sam Harris that "the left has allied itself with Islamists", and that
53784-459: The week on the main channel at the network's discretion. Most of the six HBO thematic multiplex channels—except for HBO Family, which prohibits programming containing either equivalent rating by the effect of the channel's target audience and format —air TV-MA and R-rated programming during morning and afternoon periods. HBO also does not typically allow most NC-17-rated films to be aired on the primary channel or its multiplex channels. HBO pioneered
54033-403: The woods. Okay. You had your shot. You fucked it up. You're Bill Buckner . We had the World Series , and you let the grounder go through your legs. Let someone else have the chance." In August 2019, Maher said an economic recession would be "worth it" if Donald Trump did not get re-elected in 2020. He said: "We have survived many recessions. We can't survive another Donald Trump term." Over
54282-439: The world's highest-paid comedian during those 12 months. In 2013, Forbes documented Seinfeld's annual income as $ 32 million. In mid-2013, Seinfeld disputed Forbes 's claims regarding his income and net worth on The Howard Stern Show . Seinfeld was ranked by Forbes the highest-paid comedian for 2015, the second-highest-paid in 2016, and the highest-paid again in 2017. Seinfeld's income between June 2016 and June 2017
54531-405: Was "not going to leave", and quoted Trump's March 14, 2019, assertion, "I have the support of the police, the military, the bikers [for Trump]" and "the tough people", citing this as evidence that Trump would seek to remain in office by force. Maher predicted there would be violence by armed Trump supporters attempting to keep Trump in power and criticized Democratic Party politicians for not taking
54780-412: Was "the weirdest talk show I've ever been on in my life". He also embarked on a new tour starting with his first show in Singapore in June 2024 followed by a number of stops in Australia and North America. Seinfeld returned to Curb Your Enthusiasm in its final season reuniting with Larry David where they poked fun at the controversial ending of Seinfeld . Ben Travers of IndieWire wrote, "If
55029-399: Was "thrilled". He concluded, "if she's 18, if she's intelligent, that's fine". In March 1994, Seinfeld again defended their age difference in an interview with People , stating that "Shoshanna is a person, not an age." Julia Louis-Dreyfus said in a 1998 New York interview that she was in favor of the relationship, as "it was a happy one for him", and added that she did not believe there
55278-479: Was $ 267 million, placing him at the top of the celebrity earnings list that year. He turned down $ 5 million per episode, for 22 episodes, to continue the show for a 10th season. Seinfeld earned $ 100 million from syndication deals and stand-up performances in 2004, and $ 60 million in 2006. He also earned $ 10 million for appearing with Bill Gates in Microsoft 's 2008 advertisements for Windows . Between June 2008 and June 2009, Seinfeld earned $ 85 million, making him
55527-474: Was $ 69 million. In 2024, Bloomberg declared Seinfeld a billionaire, with a net worth standing at more than $ 1 billion, thanks to various syndication deals his sitcom signed, with $ 465 million coming from those deals. Seinfeld is an automobile enthusiast and collector, and he owns a collection of about 150 cars, including a large Porsche collection. He rented a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica , California, for an extended period during
55776-539: Was a gigantic influence on me. They were just about silly, funny things that meant nothing, and that’s the stuff I love. There’s a wonderful childlike freedom in those kinds of things." In the Netflix comedy special, Jerry Before Seinfeld , he displayed his personal comedy albums collection from when he was a teenager. These albums included: In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Seinfeld stated his five favorite films are The Heartbreak Kid (1972), The Graduate (1967), The In-Laws (1979), A Night at
56025-429: Was a guest on Howard Stern 's talk show, Stern said, "so, you sit in Central Park and have a candy bar on a string and pull it when the girls come?" at which point Seinfeld replied, "she's not 17, definitely not." A few months later, in his second Howard Stern interview, Seinfeld insisted, "I didn't realize she was so young. This is the only girl I ever went out with who was that young. I wasn't dating her. We just went to
56274-498: Was accordingly marketed as "MultiChannel Cinemax" and then "MultiMax" at the respective times.) Concurrent with the adoption of "The Works" package brand, two of the channels changed their names and formats: HBO2 was rebranded as HBO Plus, and HBO3 was relaunched as HBO Signature—incorporating content catering toward a female audience, alongside theatrical films aimed at broader audiences and content from HBO's original made-for-cable movie and documentary libraries. (HBO Plus would revert to
56523-459: Was an advisory board member of author Sam Harris 's Project Reason , a foundation that promotes scientific knowledge and secular values within society. In 2023, while still being critical of religion, Maher discussed some of his spiritual queries and interests with long-time friend and new age guru, Deepak Chopra . Maher supports the establishment of a Medicare-for-All universal single-payer health care system , and has consistently agreed with
56772-491: Was anything wrong with it. In August 1998, while at a Reebok Sports Club, Seinfeld met Jessica Sklar , a public relations executive for Tommy Hilfiger who had just returned from a three-week honeymoon in Italy with then-husband Eric Nederlander, a theatrical producer and scion of a theater-owning family . Unaware of Sklar's marital status, Seinfeld invited her out. When Sklar eventually told Seinfeld about her relationship situation, she said, "I told him I didn't think this
57021-410: Was born on April 29, 1954, to a Jewish family in Brooklyn , New York City. His father, Kalmen Seinfeld, a sign painter, was from Hungary and collected jokes that he heard while serving in World War II . His mother, Betty (née Hosni) and her parents, Selim and Salha Hosni, were Mizrahi Jews from Aleppo , Syria . Their nationality was stated as Turkish when they immigrated in 1917, as Syria
57270-578: Was both sustainable consumer penetration of high-definition television sets and wide accessibility of HDTV equipment on the retail market. Sports telecasts were upgraded to HD on September 25, 2004, with an HBO World Championship Boxing fight card headlined by Roy Jones Jr. and Glen Johnson . HD programming can also be broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 . The network began transmitting its six multiplex channels in high definition on September 1, 2008, when DirecTV began offering HD simulcast feeds of HBO2, HBO Family, HBO Signature, and HBO Latino. HBO on Demand
57519-440: Was contributing $ 1 million to Priorities USA , the Obama SuperPAC. Maher has voted for Bob Dole and Ralph Nader . In the lead-up to the 2014 midterm elections , Maher conducted a "Flip a District" contest on his HBO show. His audience was asked to select one "terrible, entrenched" member of Congress in a close election race—"the loserest loser of all"—to remove from office. Maher aimed to help oust that representative by shining
57768-407: Was created, Seinfeld dated Carol Leifer . She was a fellow comedian, and one of the inspirations for the Seinfeld character Elaine Benes . On national television with sex therapist and talk show host Dr. Ruth Westheimer , he mentioned that he was engaged in 1984 but called it off. In May 1993, days after his 39th birthday, Seinfeld met 17-year-old Shoshanna Lonstein in Central Park. After
58017-421: Was delayed until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the ability to produce the network's launch programming and ending up launching several months before the closing of the Warner Bros. and Discovery Inc. merger. Due to the delay in production, some Magnolia Network programming debuted as part of the January 4, 2021, launch of the Discovery+ streaming service. The transition of the linear DIY Network to
58266-747: Was heckled by protesters during a comedy show in Sydney, Australia . Seinfeld responded joking, "You’re really influencing everyone here. We’re all on your side now, because you’ve made your point so well, and in the right venue, you’ve come to the right place for a political conversation". Seinfeld has made several political contributions, including to George W. Bush 's and Al Gore 's presidential campaigns in 2000 , and subsequently to four Democratic Party primary candidates in 2000 and 2004 . Seinfeld has expressed his distaste for what he views as political correctness . In 2015, Seinfeld stated that he avoids performing on college campuses because students have become too easily offended by his comedic routines. In
58515-408: Was highly publicized and considered a coup for the society, being the third time Seinfeld had appeared in a television commercial. The advertisements were filmed in Cedarhurst, Long Island , with the street designed to emulate Beaumont Street in Hamilton , where the Greater's head offices are located. Seinfeld also wrote the scripts for the 15 advertisements that were filmed. The ads largely aired in
58764-465: Was host of the New York City comedy club Catch a Rising Star in 1979. Maher began appearing on Johnny Carson 's and David Letterman 's shows in 1982. He made limited television appearances including on Sara (1985), Max Headroom (1987), Murder, She Wrote (1989, 1990), and Charlie Hoover (1991). His feature film debut was in D.C. Cab (1983). He later appeared in Ratboy (1986), House II: The Second Story (1987), Cannibal Women in
59013-409: Was initially available via Apple Inc. to Apple TV and iOS devices for a three-month exclusivity period following its formal launch, before becoming available for subscription through other participating Internet service providers . Available for $ 15 per month, HBO Now was identical to the former HBO Go in terms of content and features. New episodes of the HBO series were made available for streaming on
59262-423: Was marketed independent of a pay television subscription to the linear HBO service as a standalone platform targeting cord cutters . HBO Now was available online and as apps for Apple iOS and Apple TV devices; Android tablets, phones and Android TV devices; Amazon Fire TV; Roku devices; Xbox consoles ( Xbox 360 and Xbox One ); PlayStation consoles ( PlayStation 3 and later); and select TiVo devices; and as
59511-504: Was no script for him. In January 1981, he performed stand-up on An Evening at the Improv . In May, Seinfeld made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson , impressing Carson and the audience, leading to frequent appearances on that show and others, including Late Night with David Letterman . On September 5, 1987, his first one-hour special Stand-Up Confidential aired live on HBO . Seinfeld created The Seinfeld Chronicles with Larry David in 1988 for NBC . It
59760-462: Was nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album . In 2020, it was announced that Netflix would be releasing Seinfeld's first original stand-up special in 22 years, 23 Hours to Kill . The special premiered on May 5. In October 2020, Seinfeld joined Steve Martin in a discussion about comedy at The New Yorker Festival . They discussed subjects ranging from the creative process, Netflix , and The Oscars , to their comedy backgrounds, and
60009-460: Was originally not allowed to drive it, because the car was "not street legal ." U.S. emissions and crash tests had not been performed for the model because Porsche refused to donate four Porsche 959s for destruction tests. Seinfeld imported the car " for exhibition purposes ," on the stipulation that it may never be driven on U.S. roads. The car was made U.S. street legal in 1999 under the " Show or Display " federal law. Seinfeld wrote an article for
60258-443: Was originally scheduled to launch a tertiary channel, Cinemax 3, on November 1, 1991, but these plans were shelved until 1996.) While most cable providers collectively offered the HBO and Cinemax multiplex channels in individual tiers, some providers had sold their secondary or tertiary channels as optional add-ons to expanded basic subscribers; this practice was discontinued when HBO and Cinemax began migrating to digital cable in
60507-425: Was renamed Seinfeld to avoid confusion with the short-lived teen sitcom The Marshall Chronicles . By its third season, Seinfeld had become the most watched sitcom on American television. The final episode aired in 1998, and the show has been a popular syndicated re-run ever since. NBC offered Seinfeld $ 110 million—a record $ 5 million an episode for a 22-episode tenth season—but he declined. Along with Seinfeld,
60756-490: Was scaled back to focus on independent film production in 1984. The current HBO Films unit was formed in October 1999 through the consolidation of HBO Pictures and HBO NYC Productions (created as HBO Showcase in 1986, and following its June 1996 restructuring, had also occasionally produced drama series for the network). Since 1984, HBO Films has also maintained an exclusive licensing agreement with HBO (later expanded to include Cinemax) for theatrical productions produced by
61005-475: Was the conceptual blueprint for the "premium channel", pay television services sold to subscribers for an extra monthly fee that do not accept traditional advertising and present their programming without editing for objectionable material . It eventually became the first television channel in the world to begin transmitting via satellite—expanding the growing regional pay service, originally available to cable and multipoint distribution service (MDS) providers in
61254-447: Was the right time for me to be involved with anybody." Two months later, Sklar filed for divorce and began dating Seinfeld. The pair married on December 25, 1999. Comedian George Wallace was the best man at the wedding. After the nuptials, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld bought Billy Joel 's house in Amagansett , Long Island , for US$ 32 million after news of the couple's interest in the property became public in 2000. The Seinfelds have
61503-408: Was the tipping point for him. While he stated that he trusted the Obama administration to employ the program responsibly, he described the NSA's access to private data as a "slippery slope", and worried about whether other politicians would be as responsible. Since the 9/11 attacks , he has endorsed certain uses of profiling at airports, saying, "Places like Israel, where they have faced terrorism for
61752-406: Was thirteen. Maher was raised in River Vale, New Jersey , and graduated from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale in 1974. He then attended Cornell University , where he double-majored in English and history, and graduated in 1978. Maher has said, "Selling pot allowed me to get through college and make enough money to start off in comedy." Maher began his career as a comedian and actor. He
62001-556: Was under the Ottoman Empire . Seinfeld has an older sister, Carolyn. Salha's mother Garez Dayan, Seinfeld's great-grandmother, was a member of the Dayan rabbinic family, who claim ancestry back to the Medieval Exilarchs , and from the Exilarchs back to the Biblical King David . Seinfeld's second cousin is alternative metal musician and actor Evan Seinfeld . Seinfeld grew up in Massapequa, New York , and attended Massapequa High School on Long Island . At 16, he spent time volunteering in Kibbutz Sa'ar in Israel. He attended
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