Bill Maher
Role at the time: Comedian and host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, speaking on the September 18 episode
Statement summary
On the September 18 episode of HBO’s Real Time, Bill Maher said that Ed Sheeran let Macklemore be his opening act and that Macklemore “goes out there and repeats lies about how Gaza is a genocide,” adding, “Not that they care, but that’s a lie.” Maher said Robert Kraft, who owns the stadium where the concert was to take place, “was understandably offended” and said, “You can’t play my stadium.” He also joked about a costume Macklemore wore in 2014, which the reports describe as a dark wig, beard and fake nose.
“So, Ed Sheeran let Macklemore be his opening act on his tour. And when I say, ‘act,’ he goes out there and repeats lies about how Gaza is a genocide.” … “Not that they care, but that’s a lie.” … “He was understandably offended by this and said, ‘You can’t play my stadium.’”
Why we used this label
Maher calls Macklemore’s claim that Gaza is a genocide “a lie” and says Macklemore “repeats lies” on stage, which rejects the substance of the speech. He also says Kraft was “understandably offended” by it, which describes Kraft’s reaction as understandable without stating an opinion on whether the removal was justified. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because Maher does not address the removal itself; it loses because his only evaluation of the speech is a rejection, and the Kraft remark reports Kraft’s reaction rather than taking a position that cuts the other way.