During yesterday’s episode of Real Time, Bill Maher cracked a joke about Ariana Grande’s weight, prompting groans from the audience.
Videos by Suggest
“I hope the aliens are here; I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us,” the 70-year-old TV personality said in his opening monologue on Aug. 7. “And, by the way, the administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files. Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes. Oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”
This joke managed to get mostly polite laughter from the studio audience.
The Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death star, inspired by the mid-level claps, went with another uninspired zinger.
“Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.”
Bill Maher’s UFO joke about Ariana Grande was absolutely brutal 💀 pic.twitter.com/kSwnvxQWit
— Joe Rogan Podcast News (@joeroganhq) August 8, 2026
The mean-spirited jab didn’t land well with the audience, who responded with groans and “awws.” Maher attempted to brush it off, managing to stammer, “I’m saying, maybe it will help,” before quickly pivoting to another topic, the Apollo Theater hook dangling just off camera. “Democrats,” he said, “have found a candidate who hates Thanksgiving.”
Bleh.
The jokes seemed particularly ill-timed, given that on Aug. 2, Grande’s rep announced that the star is taking a “step back from visibility” following her “Eternal Sunshine” tour, citing “ongoing public scrutiny” as a key reason for the break.
“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour,” Grande’s rep explained. “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.”
That said, like most people with taste, Grande probably skipped Real Time.