Bill Maher Apologizes For Racial Slur, Gets Schooled By Ice Cube

Bill Maher wants everyone to know that he realizes he did wrong.

On the June 9, 2017 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the host apologized for using the n-word the week before. After referring to himself as a "sinner," Maher told his studio audience (via Rolling Stone), "For black folks, that word, I don't care who you are, has caused pain."

"It doesn't matter that it wasn't said in malice, if it brought back pain to people, and that's why I apologized freely and I reiterate it tonight," Maher continued. "That's sincere. I'm not that big of an a**hole."

He added, "The comic mind goes to a weird place some times."

As Nicki Swift previously reported, on his June 2 episode, Maher had used a racial slur in an effort to make a ill-conceived joke. After guest Senator Ben Sasse told him that he'd love to have Maher "work in the fields" with his team in Nebraska, Maher responded, "Work in the fields? Senator, I'm a house n****."

Maher apologized for his choice of words on Twitter the next day, stating, "The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry."

But obviously, Maher realized that a simple apology on Twitter wasn't enough to undo the damage of his previous show. So, during the June 9 episode, Maher decided to learn from his guests, Georgetown professor and political activist Michael E. Dyson and rapper Ice Cube, encouraging them to "school" him for his behavior.

"I knew you was going to f*** up sooner or later," Cube told Maher. "I love your show, but you been bucking up that line a little bit. You got a lot of black jokes... Sometimes you sound like a redneck trucker."

After Maher reiterated his regrets at using the word, Cube responded, "I accept your apology, but I still think we need to get to the root of the psyche, because I think there are a lot of guys out there who cross the line because they a little too familiar." He also implied that Maher, and other men like him, may feel like they can use the word because they've dated black women, but, Cube clarified, "They can't."

Cube also explained to Maher that when white people use the slur, it feels "like a knife."

"It's been used as a weapon against us by white people, and we're not gonna let that happen again by nobody, because it's not cool," he continued. "It's in the lexicon, everybody talk it, but it's our word now. You can't have it back."

Hopefully, Maher will think twice before ever attempting to use a racial slur in his comedy again.