Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time with Bill Maher Ticket Information

Getting tickets to Real Time with Bill Maher is not an easy feat.

HBO MAX used to operate the Real Time ticket line at 323-575-2345 and HBO Max also had a web page for online ticket requests, but as of 2024 that phone line has been closed down and the webpage is now defunct. The Television City main phone number is 323-575-7800.

The Show DOES Still Tape Episodes

What is confusing is that the show DOES however still tape live TV shows with an audience and they still give out show tickets. This is now done in-person at three locations that are local to the taping studio at Television City in Fairfax, California.

• On the street outside Television City on Beverly Blvd
• Outside Whole Foods on Fairfax and 4th
• Outside the AC Hotel by Marriott Beverly Hills on Willshire and La Jolla

Friends Of The Show Can Get Still Get Tickets

Anyone with friends at the show production companies can also get tickets - likewise anyone that has been to a previous show and behaved themselves, also gets an invite back to the taping - especially anyone that is local to the studio. If they are not hyper-local - they usually do not get invited back.

Why Does Real Time Only Give Out Tickets Locally Now?

The show taping of Real Time with Bill Maher has been interrupted so many times in the past by protestors, that the production company (Bill Maher Productions and Brad Grey Television Productions) were forced to change the way they got audience members.

The show needs reliable audience members who aren't going to interrupt the taping - which is not an unreasonable request.

The Change In Ticket Distribution Was Highlighted In A Recent Episode

Bill Maher referenced this ticket distribution change on his show on January 2022, so regular fans should already be aware of the new way he gets studio audience members and how they give out tickets.

Who Are The Dang Protestors and What Do They Want?

The way it worked was that protestor groups would request show tickets online - all of them would book to go to the same show taping. Halfway through the show taping they would begin a protest. When over half the studio audience was protestors - the production company would have to kick them out and then they would have no audience left - the show taping would then have to be cancelled. Its a huge cost burden.

Which Protest Groups Love To Disrupt The Show?

Some of the protestors at Real Time have included:

• The 9-11 deniers
• #metoo affiliated protest groups
• 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike Team
• Just Stop Oil
• Jewish Voice for Peace and various different groups of Antifa protestors
• Black Lives Matter (BLM)
• Various pro-Palestinian groups including Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine, and CodePink.

The Worst Protest Group

The very worst group was the animal rights activists from "Direct Action Everywhere". In February 2021 they interrupted the show taping to protest against Maher's stance on animal rights issues and proceeded to destroy the set. They were removed from the studio, but the incident garnered significant media attention.

All the protest groups just want to disrupt the show taping for some notoriety and to get on the news cycle.

Real Time with Bill Maher Show Schedule

The show tapes once per week on Friday morning at CBS Television City, in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California.

Real Time with Bill Maher Broadcast Time

Real Time with Bill Maher airs on HBO.

Real Time with Bill Maher Age Requirements

Real Time with Bill Maher Background

After the ABC network axed his comic late night talk show Politically Incorrect in 2002 (which initially began on Comedy Central in 1997), irreverent stand-up comedian Bill Maher took his act back to cable.

Real Time with Bill Maher debuted on HBO in 2003 and has enjoyed a great deal of critical success since then, scoring multiple Emmy Award nominations.

Politically Incorrect Compared to Real Time with Bill Maher

Real Time with Bill Maher is similar to Politically Incorrect in that it concentrates on current news events and political topics and features a panel of people with diverse viewpoints, but the latter show is longer and allows Maher and his panelists to tackle subjects more in-depth. without executive control or oversight - HBO allows him to say whatever he wants.

Real Time also features one-on-one interviews (sometimes via satellite) with politicians and news makers, as well as more comedic skits and longer monologues.

Original Show Shot in NYC

When the show first began in 2003, it was taped in New York City, but then moved mid-season to Los Angeles. The New York episodes were shot at the CBS Broadcast Center and the Los Angeles episodes at CBS Television City, where it remained even after its move to ABC.

In addition to his TV shows, Bill Maher has also hosted several stand-up comedy specials, starred in the documentary film Religious, and written several comedic rant-fueled books. A couple of the books are based on the popular "New Rules" segment on Real Time.