Bill Maher Needled for Joking About Ronan Farrow’s Father, ‘Whoever That May Be’ (Video)

Author’s mother, actress Mia Farrow, has said that her ex-husband Frank Sinatra is “possibly” Ronan’s father, not Woody Allen

Bill Maher’s parting quip Friday night about the paternity of his “Real Time” guest, Ronan Farrow, had many fans calling the joke a “cheap laugh” that “stepped over the line.”

In a 2013 Vanity Fair story, Farrow’s mother, actress Mia Farrow, revealed that Ronan’s biological father was “possibly” her ex-husband Frank Sinatra, and not Woody Allen. Since then, Farrow’s resemblance to the late crooner has sparked speculative chatter, which the Pulitzer Prize-winning author has taken in stride.

At the end of Maher’s interview with Farrow on Friday’s HBO show, the comedian applauded the journalist’s first book — “War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence” — and articles late last year in The New Yorker which helped uncover the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse accusations.

“Amazing work on a number of fronts,” the HBO host told Farrow, adding, “You obviously have your mother’s incredible compassion… and your father’s steely ambition… whoever that may be.”

Farrow’s entire interview is above, including the reaction to Maher’s comment.

Although the journalist has joked about it in the past, tweeting at the time “Listen, we’re all *possibly* Frank Sinatra’s son,” some on Twitter thought Farrow’s paternity was no laughing matter.

“I like Bill, but that comment about Farrow’s father was rude and stepped over the line,” wrote on Twitter user. Here are a few others.

 

https://twitter.com/ReginaStultz/status/990099269758668800

 

Rosemary Rossi

Rosemary joined TheWrap in 2016 after more than two decades covering entertainment for American Media and Bauer Publishing as West Coast Editor and as the Hollywood Correspondent for Australia’s Horowitz Graham Publishing. In addition, she reviewed films and television, sized up trends and penned a weekly tongue-in-cheek column called “Hollywood’s Worst Ideas This Week” for…

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