"Bill Maher Defies Writers Guild Strike, Resumes 'Real Time' Production"

Bill Maher announced that his show "Real Time" will return on September 22 despite the ongoing Hollywood writers strike, making him the first late-night show host to do so. The Writers Guild of America plans to picket his show in response. Maher stated that the show will be without writers or writing, and instead feature "off-the-cuff" conversations. This decision comes after Drew Barrymore also announced the return of her talk show, leading to criticism and picketing from writers. The strike, which has been ongoing for over 130 days, aims to address issues such as AI script usage and residual systems for streaming shows.