According to Bill Maher, it’s OK to use antigay slurs so long as you identify as liberal, have a clean water charity, and deliver food to Haiti.
The 65-year-old recently went to bat for Matt Damon, saying the actor is currently “flailing around in cancel culture quicksand” after admitting to using the “f-slur for a homosexual” up until just a few months ago when his daughter informed him it was homophobic.
“Okay, he was late to the party,” Maher said on Real Time with Bill Maher. “To which we could say, ‘Welcome, glad you could make it. Or we could say, ‘You came later than I did. Die’.”
As far as we know, nobody has called for Matt Damon to die. They’re just not willing to applaud a 50-year-old man for deciding to retire an antigay slur from his vocabulary in the year 2021 because his daughter told him he should.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Related: Matt Damon now says he’s never used the word “f*g” after literally saying he’s used the word “f*g”
Maher went on to say Damon is “one of the most likeable guys in Hollywood, with impeccable liberal credentials” and yet “he is always getting pulled over by the woke police.”
“Really?” he said, incredulously. “He’s got a clean water charity and delivers food to Haiti.”
He also said teenage boys use the word all the time “when they meet up at Chipotle” and that it’s “not always meant as a slur.”
“There are too many people in this country motivated not by what they really believe, but by what will get Twitter to react to them with likes and retweets,” the HBO host continued. “Matt Damon isn’t a terrible person, he’s just ignorant.”
Last week, Damon issued a statement that read, in part:
I have learned that eradicating prejudice requires active movement toward justice rather than finding passive comfort in imagining myself ‘one of the good guys’. And given that open hostility against the LGBTQ+ community is still not uncommon, I understand why my statement led many to assume the worst. To be as clear as I can be, I stand with the LGBTQ+ community.
Watch Maher’s defense of Damon below. Or don’t.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Mister P
I believe
rickywintour
Of course you believe since you think with your lower abdomen and not your head with the brain you old thirsty dim witted queen
Mister P
The writer is characterizing Maher’s comments a little unfairly.
daddytop
I completely agree. This is an unnecessary, undeserved slur against Bill Maher.
Joshooeerr
A “little” unfairly?!! It’s a massive distortion that doesn’t even vaguely represent what Maher actually said – which was eminently sensible. This column is a perfect example of the dimwitted, knee-jerk cancel culture condemnation he was talking about.
USMCandProud
I watched the show and didn’t get that impression. I don’t care when he stopped saying it. The fact remains he changed.
Fahd
Not sure from where Maher derives his legitimacy and authority on this or many other subjects. Maher has some writers who come up with the occasional good joke, but Maher’s been peddling certain questionable agenda items for years now (not the gay agenda, btw), and, to me, has become tiresome. I’m wondering how long he’s going to be able to hold onto an hour long prime time show; I know he has friends at HBO, but I thought they got bought out.
In Maher’s attempt here to mansplain Damon, Maher states that Damon is not a homophobe, but I don’t believe him. It’s hard to imagine that underneath all Damon’s public-relations do-gooderism there isn’t just a run-of-the-mill homophobe. My question: Who in 2021 at Matt Damon’s age has just now resolved to stop using the f* word?
Overall, I haven’t been interested in what Bill Maher has to say for quite some time. People retire for many reasons – one is that the world has passed them by – see Milton Berle, Henny Youngman, Syd Caeser, Jack Paar, David Brenner, etc.
daddytop
Legitimacy? It’s HIS show. It’s HIS opinion. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Just like I’m not watching your show….. oh wait, you don’t have one.
Fahd
@daddytop
That’s my point, he shouldn’t have a show. He’s spent, no longer funny, and has been grinding away for years, like you. A Bill Maher defender! Imagine! Please take your weak sarcasm elsewhere, and don’t reply to my posts.
jcool
pretty thin skin. you know you can’t forbid someone from commenting
Fahd
@jcool
Yes, my skin is thin and very soft and smooth too; years of sun avoidance. Please note that I said “please” when I told the troll not to respond to my posts. I hope he’ll respect my wishes.
jcool
@fhad
almost, but what you said was “please take your weak sarcasm elsewhere, and don’t respond to my posts”
not quite the same.
but congratulations on your skin.
ciasteczek
I wonder if Graham Gremore even watched this show or is he just a whining little snowflake. You know just like the ones BM is talking about.
Ronbo
Graham Gremore seems to be a log cabin Democrat – You’ll notice that he repeatedly attacks gays and gay friendly individuals. Graham repeated reported false stories about Alex Morse to get an extremely conservative and corrupt politician re-elected.
Gremore never apologized or corrected his false anti-gay reports. This is a black mark on Queerty – which in the past stood for truth and human values.
tjack47
This is such outrage porn. So he stopped using the word. Those words make me laugh. Your skin gets thick when your own grandfather calls you a turdtapper. He made up for it on his deathbed. Forgiveness. Try it out Miss Prisses.
GayEGO
Hey! Matt is learning and changing, education is a good thing!
BigJohnSF
Absolutely no one who identifies as a “queer” has any right to object to anti-gay slurs.
Cam
Oh give your self a rest.
So let’s see. You don’t like what some people call themselves, therefore anything anybody else calls them is ok?
Does that also go for women? Racial minorities? Or are LGBTQ people the only ones who where bigots get a free pass to attack?
SDR94103
You’re an imbecile.
Hank31
Well said, my brother!
barryaksarben
Well this fag does not need Bill Maher or anhy other stright guhy telling me when to be insulted or not. FK YOU BILL and you too MATT. Yeah and Benito made the trains run on time. No one is all the way good or bad but I will allow people to call me out on my bad shit and Matt deserves that too. HE is waaaay too late to the so called party on this
daddytop
Here’s a bit of wisdom: Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business. If they don’t pay my bills, I don’t pay them no mind. —-RuPaul
Cam
Bill Maher is the Republican’s favorite “Liberal”.
He’ll make a few jokes about their positions, but actually he gives right wingers a platform, and then when he agrees with their positions they turn around and say “SEE, even left winger Bill Maher agrees with this!”.
LumpyPillows
Not sure the relevance of your statement. If Bill is right, and he often is, then your argument is that sometimes the right agrees with him so he has to be bad (not wrong, interestingly)? Not the best argument. If you think Matt Damon is our enemy or a real problem we need to be concerned with, then you are not as smart as I think you are – even if I disagree with you 50% of the time.
daddytop
You don’t agree with ANYTHING that is called a “right wing opinion?”
We have more in common than we do policy differences.
Vince
Don’t forget it was Maher’s show that ended Milo Yeanapolis career. Bill gives these guys just enough rope to hang themselves.
He has them on but I’ve never seen him supporting their bigoted platforms. He’s more a middle of the road and I wouldn’t consider him a liberal.
Cam
@Vince
I see your point.
I guess where I’m coming from is, I would rather not have anybody give someone like Yianopolous the airtime. That was what made him famous and I don’t think Maher knew Milo was going to implode, he was there for the clicks.
Cam
@LumpyPillows
Except I said none of that. But it’s cute you keep trying.
My point was that the right wing loves to scream about how right they are about one point or another because Bill Maher agrees with it.
Fahd
I don’t think Maher is into sabotaging people like Milo. He regularly has people who can’t get booked elsewhere – Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Wiener, Julian Assange, Ann Coulter, weird congressmen etc. He’s in it for the clicks. I don’t think there’s any strategy beyond that.
LumpyPillows
@cam you said exactly that. Problem is Bill is often right, and sometimes it aligns with right wing talking points. It is what it is. I’m not cute. Neither are you.
gvl_guy
Seriously? The Damon is trying to do the right thing. What’s wrong with that? I guess the editors of queerty didn’t actually watch the entire show like I did. I’m not a huge fan of Maher a lot of times. But he’s right on this one. Maybe if you wrote this article better, it would reflect the truth.
daddytop
Agreed. This attack on Bill Maher is unfair and mean-spirited. It seems the writer of it needs to learn the difference between an enemy and an imperfect ally.
4greg
This article only serves to prove Maher’s point. This kind of semi, or faux – “woke” writing as forced-hysteria bait is a huge part of what is destroying our nation. Take it out of context and make it sound how you want it to sound.
As for Damon, he has been regarded as gay-friendly, open-minded and humanitarian based on his efforts and deeds for decades. We all are learning terms, patterns and behaviors that are no longer appreciated, appropriate, etc., and cancelling those who step up, deftly, or not, shows immaturity and selfishness of the worst kind. Time to grow up and bring people along – not shut them down.
LumpyPillows
I think you hit the nail on the head. This article is exactly everything wrong with cancel culture and dishonest “journalism” all in one.
cuteguy
If Damon had admitted to use the N word until recently he would’ve been immediately cancelled. Why does he get a pass for using the homophobic F word? Do blacks have more value than gay men?
daddytop
Don’t you mean white gay men?
Vince
I like Damon but’s it’s a valid point. Yes racism is considered offensive while homophobia is still acceptable. Same goes for Dababy. If some white singer said blacks were full of diseases and should stay away from his concerts he’d be canceled over night.
Kangol2
@Notcute, stop erasing Black gay people, creep. You do realize that not all “gay” people are White, right?
@Vince, Morgan Wallen used the n-word and was not only NOT cancelled, he was feted by his fans. You keep posing this same false opposition when the reality is that White people do use the n-word and not only aren’t canceled but can have their careers flourish. It’s not a either/or situation, it’s a both/and one, unfortunately.
Vince
Kangol2
I assume he use the N word. I’m actually ok when some rapper uses a slur for gay guys. It sure wouldn’t be a new thing. When you attack them or anyone else for that matter over a health condition that just bugs me way more.
At any rate, the country music star has been dropped from his record label, from the CMA’s for a year, and many stations are refusing to play him. All of which I’m good with. I don’t give a f*ck what his idiot redneck fans like.
Vince
Kangol2
Also, if Damon had said N**gers instead of F*gs he absolutely would’ve been canceled. Just off the top of my head that Seinfeld guy said N**gers at one of his show’s and no one has heard from him again so yes canceled.
I’m not saying one is worse then the other. However, there is a double standard.
cuteguy
@Kangaroo
I never stated that all gay ppl are white. Learn to read m0ron
Kangol2
@Hideousguy, your comment was: “If Damon had admitted to use the N word until recently he would’ve been immediately cancelled. Why does he get a pass for using the homophobic F word? Do blacks have more value than gay men?” Your comment assumes that all “gay men” are White. Learn to read your own comments, 1mbec1le!
LumpyPillows
This article is so bad, I’m not sure why anyone with any credibility would post it on their website. If you think Matt Damon is the problem, you are the problem. We have real enemies, focus on them. Yes, this is exactly what is wrong with cancel culture.
daddytop
Agree. I expect an apology from Queerty. This article reeks of yellow journalism.
Kangol2
Matt Damon is a famous Hollywood liberal, yet he thought it OK to regularly use the f-word (f*****) around his kids to the point that one wrote a letter scolding him and forcing him to change his behavior. If you think that’s not an issue, you are clueless. You may downplay casual homophobia, but it provides the foundation for far worse behavior. A rich, highly-educated White man like Matt Damon should know better; he doesn’t need his homophobia excused by ostensibly gay people.
Fahd
@Kango12
Exactly! Maybe there’s a generation gap issue here. How else to explain the Maher support? Or maybe it’s a potential threat to some people’s Friday viewing schedule ? In any case, Maher will be off the air soon enough – he already is for me.
Fname Optional Lname
Except we all know Matt Damon knows damn well that he considers gay men “less than” and the “f” word refers to those men. Punk A$$ etc. All the straight men who claim that when they use the word it has a different meaning are only kidding themselves. This mentality is part of the problem because younger straight guys continue that mentality and justify their actions and so on and so on.
LumpyPillows
@Fname we all know that? No, we really don’t. @Kangol2 We also don’t really know what Matt Damon says at home. You think you do. Apparently, he also knows better. And, yes, until the last few years I heard the word all the time. He was telling a story that had more to do with his daughter than him. If you don’t get that, you really are looking for issues. Seriously, if you think Matt Damon is the problem, you have not been paying attention.
Fahd
@Lumpypillows
Matt Damon demonstrates one aspect of the problem, and Kangol2 has summarized it very well. Denial or wishful thinking doesn’t change things.
LumpyPillows
Denial of what? Matt Damon, like you and everyone else, have said the word. The word is crude. For us it is more hateful than many people who used it intended. While always a slur, it was not always intended as homophobic. It is what it is. I’m not canceling Matt Damon for saying it. On the whole he is an ally. Now you can all fain insult and grievous injury, but we know you’re just camp whiners. I have real enemies to focus on.
Cozmo2
WHO CARES, let it go.
GayMafiaKingpin
Maher is becoming more and more Republican-esque every day.
cuteguy
Agreed. He’s giving fuel to Hannity and Faux News
LumpyPillows
I bet you don’t watch the show.
sdave
Dear Queerty,
this was not a fair reporting (do I actually need to get into details on that?). I appreciate that you have your opinion about things but please start with reporting the thing that you have an opinion about fairly.
Please do better.
With kind regards,
David from Hungary