President Barack Obama might want to visit “Real Time With Bill Maher” sooner rather than later.
Maher launched a White House petition on Jan. 15 to try to get Obama on his HBO show before the end of his presidency. At the time of this publishing, the petition has attracted nearly 170,000 signatures, well beyond the 100,000 required to get a White House response.
At the end of last Friday’s episode of “Real Time,” Maher took a moment to remind fans that his 60th birthday is coming up on Jan. 20. As a present, he said, he would like his viewers to sign a White House petition, asking Obama to appear on the show before he leaves office.
“Let’s just say our invitation has gotten lost in the mail for seven years. Which would be OK, except for the fact that, in that time, this president has done virtually every other show in the known universe,” Maher said.
“Sean Penn can get an interview with El Chapo, but I can’t get on the president who talked to the lady with the green lips?” he continued, referring to the President’s interview with YouTube personality GloZell Green. “So I just want to know, why not us?”
Maher then addressed Obama directly, asking why the Commander in Chief has not appeared on his show. Maher suspected it had something to do with him being a pothead atheist.
“So now, for my big 6-0, I would like to ask my friend, the audience, this one favor,” Maher said. “As it turns out, it is the policy of the Obama administration that if the White House receives a petition signed by 100,000 people in 30 days — you see where I’m going with this — they have to address it.”
