LOS ANGELES — Bill Maher has run afoul of religious
conservatives yet again, after a Christmas Eve tweet the comedian sent
about overtly religious Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
Following a 40-14 Broncos’ loss to the Buffalo Bills
on Saturday, Maher tweeted, “Wow, Jesus just f*cked #TimTebow bad! And on
Xmas Eve! Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler ‘Hey,
Buffalo’s killing them’.”
Predictably, the dig from the atheist comedian didn’t
go over well with Christians. Fox Business’ “Follow the Money” host
Eric Bolling got things rolling with his Twitter response: “Bill Maher
is disgusting vile trash. I can’t even repeat what he just tweeted about
Tebow..on Christmas Eve. #straighttohellBill.”
Others have called for a boycott of HBO, which is the
home of Maher’s show, “Real Time.” This wouldn’t be the first time
Maher’s words have raised the ire of those on the opposite end of the
political spectrum. There are regular calls for Maher’s ouster from HBO.
It happened in July, following a frank discussion of “hate sex” with
Republican presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.
And in 2008, following comments about Pope Benedict XVI.
Will taking on Tebow be a bridge too far for Maher?
Doubtful — but it is interesting to consider that the “Real Time” host
wasn’t just taking on an exceedingly popular quarterback; he was also
mocking the best-selling religious author of 2011. According to Yahoo!
Sports, Tebow’s 2011 memoir “Through My Eyes” has 475,000 copies in
print, with many more expected to be sold after the season.
“Real Time With Bill Maher” returns to HBO on January 13.
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