During his "New Rules" segment on Real Time, Bill Maher shared his thoughts on the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries.
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| 'Real Time With Bill Maher' COURTESY OF HBO |
"As one of the few people in the public eye who's gone through life and never had kids, someone's got to tell me why I'm always having to defend them," the host remarked. "I don't even like them, but I do think it's every adult's job to protect them."
Maher's initial reaction to Investigation Discovery's five-part docuseries, which delves into allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate behavior involving underage actors on Nickelodeon TV show sets, was, "OMG!"
"Nickelodeon? It wasn't a studio, it was Neverland Ranch with craft services," Maher commented on his view of the network after viewing the series. "It is just scene after scene, clip and clip, of the child stars of their day being subjected to obviously inappropriate, highly sexualized degradation. ... I was grossed out and I've gone camping with John Waters."
Maher then pointed out that Quiet on Set, which he described as the talk of Los Angeles, not only uncovered a "dangerous workplace" but also revealed "hypocrisy." As an example, he mentioned that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was "dismissed" when he made similar remarks about Disney's actions.
"Why would a kids' content factory like Disney be all that different from the one at Nickelodeon," Maher questioned, before referencing a Willie Sutton quote about robbing banks "because that's where the money is."
"The reason we find pedophiles... in kids TV is that's where the kids are," Maher continued. "DeSantis wasn't wrong. We're so tribal now, the left will support child abuse if the wrong party calls it out."
Later, Maher highlighted how Brian Peck, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a Nickelodeon child actor in 2004 (later revealed to be Drake & Josh star Drake Bell in the docuseries), was hired by Disney to work on a children's show after serving his time in prison. (Morfeli Reporter previously reported that Peck voiced the role of a mirror on three episodes of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody for Disney Channel, and worked away from the show's set, in a voiceover studio. Morfeli also learned that Disney fired him immediately after learning of his conviction.)
"For pedophiles in Hollywood, it's a small world after all," Maher concluded.
The host also criticized Instagram moms who are "practically OnlyFans-ing" their young daughters to "build social stardom," and Drag Queen Story Hours. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a drag queen," he said. "But maybe it's time to admit that sometimes Drag Queen Story Hour is more for the Queen than the kids."
Maher noted that he can't just pretend some things are cool "in order to keep my Liberal ID card."
"Wokeness is not an extension of liberalism anymore. It's more often taking something so far that it becomes the opposite," he explained. "Teaching kids not to hate or judge those who are different, 'Great, proud we got there. All for that.' But at a certain point, inclusion becomes promotion."
The guests featured on the latest episode of Real Time included Jillian Michaels, Jon Meacham, and Jane Ferguson.
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