Bill Maher says Ben Affleck refuses to return to his show after ‘emotional’ clash over a decade ago

Daysia TolentinoWed, August 19, 2026 at 4:24 PM UTC

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Bill Maher; Ben AffleckCredit: Noam Galai/Getty; Roy Rochlin/GettyKey Points -

Bill Maher claims that Ben Affleck refuses to return to Real Time with Bill Maher.

The two men fell out after getting into a controversial argument about Islam on the show in October 2014 after Maher and guest Sam Harris perpetuated stereotypes about the religion.

Maher has asked Affleck to return every year since the incident, but the actor has not come back to the show.

Bill Maher admitted that his relationship with Ben Affleck hasn’t been the same since the actor’s last appearance on Real Time.

The two men, alongside podcaster Sam Harris, got into a heated argument over Islam during an October 2014 episode of the show. Affleck hasn’t returned to the program since, with Maher recently citing this incident as the reason.

“I love him, but we just are gonna disagree on that one,” Maher said on the Aug. 17 episode ofClub Random. “I don’t know. Maybe if I talked to him privately or it’s been, you know, 12 years, maybe I think there’s a middle ground.”

During their televised spat, Affleck had pushed back on Maher and Harris’ generalizations about Islam, calling their assertions “gross” and “racist.” As the conversation got more intense, Affleck appeared to be visibly distressed, putting his face in his hands.

Among the claims he made in his argument, Maher had asserted that Islam is “the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f---ing kill you if you say the wrong thing.” Meanwhile, Harris had questioned the existence of Islamophobia, calling it a “meme” and asserting that “Islam is the motherload of bad ideas.”

“How about more than a billion people who aren’t fanatical, who don’t punch women, who just want to go to school, have some sandwiches, pray five times a day, and don’t do any of the things you’re saying of all Muslims?” Affleck responded. “It’s stereotyping.”

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Ben Affleck attends the world premiere of “Air” at the Paramount Theatre during the 2023 SXSW FestCredit: Gary Miller/WireImage

Entertainment Weekly reached out to a representative for Affleck but did not immediately hear back.

Maher said he has invited Affleck back to the show every year since their infamous episode.

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Looking back on the situation, Maher said that the incident became more emotional and impactful than he expected.

“More people mention that episode to me than anything,” he said. “It wasn’t the best episode we ever had, but it got emotional with a movie star. That’s America.”

Watch the entire episode of Club Random above.

on Entertainment Weekly

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