PoliticsBill Maher Agrees to Second Trump Dinner After President Texted Him 'Out of the Blue' Despite Feud: 'I'm Just Glad We're Talking'
Bill Maher revealed plans for another dinner with Donald Trump despite their previous public feud.
Oct. 17 2026, Published 1:50 p.m. ET
Bill Maher is returning to the White House dinner table with President Donald Trump, reopening a question that followed their first meeting: Can a political comedian maintain his independence while cultivating private access to the president?
“I’m having dinner with him again next week,” Maher told Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel on the October 12 episode of his “Club Random” podcast.
Another White House Invitation
Bill Maher revealed the upcoming dinner during an October 12 episode of his ‘Club Random’ podcast with Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel.
Kid Rock arranged Maher’s first Trump dinner in 2025. On Real Time, Maher subsequently described the president as “gracious and measured,” rather than the “person who plays a crazy person on TV.”
The temporary truce soon collapsed. Trump later called Maher a “lightweight,” “ANTI TRUMP” and a “jerk,” on Truth Social while Maher continued criticizing the president on Real Time.
Bill Maher described Donald Trump as gracious and measured after their first private meeting.
Maher said Trump recently revived the relationship without warning.
“Then, like, he just, out of the blue, ‘Let’s have dinner again.’ I was like, ‘Great,’” Maher recalled.
Trump reportedly promised not to insult him afterward as he had following their first dinner.
“I texted back, and I said, ‘You know what, you’re the president of the United States. Say whatever the f--- you want,’” Maher said. “I’m just glad we’re talking.”
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Why Bill Maher Values Access
Donald Trump reportedly promised Bill Maher that he would not publicly insult him after their second meeting.
“It blows my mind that there are people in this world, and lots of them on the far left, who just would turn this opportunity down,” Maher said.
“I keep telling people, he needs more people like us, not less,” Maher said.
“A second private dinner tells us Bill Maher sees more upside than risk in staying in the room,” said Amore Philip, founder of Apples and Oranges Public Relations.
“For a political comedian, access is content,” she explained. “Every dinner becomes a monologue bit, a podcast segment and a headline he controls.”
When Access Threatens Credibility
Public relations expert Amore Philip warned that repeated private meetings with Donald Trump could raise questions about Bill Maher’s political independence.
“The risk is credibility. Maher's value has always been that he answers to no one,” Philip cautioned.
“Once audiences start reading his commentary through the lens of who he dines with, every soft joke looks like a favor and every hard joke looks like a performance,” she added. “Independence is a brand asset, and it erodes quietly.”
Philip said transparency will determine how Maher’s access is received by his audience.
“If he keeps telling his audience exactly what was said and keeps punching in every direction, repeated access reads as curiosity, not capture,” she explained. “If the details stay private, the audience will fill in the blanks for him.”
