In his first show back after an August break, Bill Maher wasted no time in taking a swipe at Fox News, squarely blaming the conservative cable news network for causing the polarization between right and left in America.
"Talking about the polarization in Washington ... I think maybe it's that the people are polarized and the politicians just reflect that. And I feel like the reason that people are so polarized is Fox News. I think of all the things that changed in America, Fox News changed the most."
But not all of his guests agreed. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld pushed back against leaving all the blame at Rupert Murdoch's door, saying, "I think you do have a better argument that each side just talks to its side, listens to its side, that's polarizing. To blame it all on Fox News doesn't seem completely right."
Former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour, however, echoed the sentiments of many conservatives when he argued that Fox News was the first entity to provide any kind of non-liberal voice in the media. "Those of us, including y'all, who grew up in the time when we had three networks and two big newspapers and they all had the same message the same way, Fox News was the first thing to come along that gave the conservative point-of-view."
"Real Time" airs on Fridays at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO.
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