Bill Maher’s Karoline Leavitt interview: what they said on ‘Real Time’
Leavitt discussed leaving the White House and her move to Fox News during Maher’s October 23 interview. Variety criticized the host’s questioning.
Bill Maher interviewed former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on HBO’s ‘Real Time’ on October 23, discussing her departure from the Trump administration and her coming Fox News role. Variety reported the exchange and criticized Maher for giving some of Leavitt’s claims little scrutiny.
Leavitt told Maher that President Donald Trump sent his regards. She said she had told Trump about the appearance and quoted him saying he loved a recent dinner with Maher. Maher replied, ‘I do like it,’ according to Variety.
Why Karoline Leavitt left the White House
Asked what she would do after serving as press secretary, Leavitt said she had left to care for her two young children, whom Variety described as aged two years and six months. She told Maher she would begin work as a Fox News pundit on November 1.
That television move was already public: Fox News reported on October 5 that Fox News Media chief executive Suzanne Scott had announced Leavitt would join the network as an on-air contributor from November 1. Leavitt’s appearance on ‘Real Time’ put her next role into a conversation about her time in the White House.
What Maher and Leavitt said about Trump
Their exchange followed Maher’s dinner with Trump earlier in October, which Maher mentioned in his opening monologue. Variety reported that Trump had subsequently told reporters Maher liked him more than people understood. On the show, Maher said he liked such dinners, even as they drew criticism.
Maher had previously mocked Leavitt’s defense of Trump’s ‘Quiet, piggy!’ remark to Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey. Yet during this interview, Variety said Maher largely treated Leavitt gently and did not press her on some of her assertions, including remarks about the administration’s war with Iran. That description is Variety’s assessment of the questioning.
When Leavitt called Trump ‘far more sane than the last [president],’ Maher answered, ‘He’s far more energetic,’ Variety reported. Maher also said he liked Trump’s proposed White House ballroom. Those exchanges illustrate the tone Variety criticized while showing what the two actually said on air.
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Sources and context
- Bill Maher’s Embarrassing Karoline Leavitt Interview on ‘Real Time’Variety
- Karoline Leavitt joins Fox News as contributor after leaving White House press secretary roleFox News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.