Bill Maher Wants Credit For The Fall Of Milo Yiannopoulos: “You’re Welcome”

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The last few days have been a whirlwind of failure for former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos. After rising to a near household name through his controversial appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, Yiannopoulos was offered a speaking role by the Conservative Political Action Conference. Shortly after his Friday appearance, a viral video was published in which Yiannopoulos condoned having sex with young boys as young as 13. So far, this video has cost Yiannopoulos his speaking position at CPAC, his book deal, his Breitbart job, and the support of many of his fans.

Bill Maher would very much like a pat on the back for all of this.

In an interview with the New York Times, Maher suggested that Yiannopoulos’ appearance on his HBO show was the “disinfectant” needed to expose the controversial writer. This is what Maher told the New York Times about Yiannopoulos’ booking and downfall:

“I said, specifically, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Then we had Milo on, despite the fact that many people said, ‘Oh, how dare you give a platform to this man.’ What I think people saw was an emotionally needy Ann Coulter wannabe, trying to make a buck off of the left’s propensity for outrage. And by the end of the weekend, by dinnertime Monday, he’s dropped as a speaker at CPAC. Then he’s dropped by Breitbart, and his book deal falls through. As I say, sunlight is the best disinfectant. You’re welcome.”

Many viewers, including Slate’s David Canfield, are most assuredly NOT saying thank you. Yiannopoulos was far from a household name or a news item before he came onto Maher’s show. Rather, the alt-right defender existed in the realm of other internet personalities who are for the most part only known by those who keep a pulse on the web. The controversy has made Maher’s show relevant again, but not for the right reasons. In his article arguing that Maher is no longer politically relevant, A.V. Club’s John Hugar pointed to the booking. The controversy has also caused viewers to dig up past footage from Maher, and the results are unpleasant.

One Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher video that’s been circulating features Maher joking about Mary Kay Letourneau, the teacher from Seattle who was sent to jail for the statutory rape of her 12-year-old student. In the clip, Maher says that Letourneau is actually “in jail because she’s in love. That’s how I view it.” Maher paints the crime as a tragedy, claiming that authorities were keeping the then-pregnant Letourneau in jail “because she won’t conform to what society feels should be the perfect american family.” At one point in the clip, Maher even asks “How could a woman rape a man?” See below:

Comedy has certainly evolved since 1998. Many jokes that were acceptable (albeit cringe-worthy) then may be seen as completely unacceptable now. However, it’s hard not to see the similarities between Maher’s casual dismissal of statutory rape and Yiannopoulos’ viral video. Yiannopoulos is certainly not any sort of victim in all of this, but Maher is not a blameless hero.

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