Fact Check: US Rep. Jasmine Crockett didn't 'stun' Bill Maher during 'Real Time' interview
Claim:
Stand-up comedian Bill Maher experienced a "tense exchange" during an interview with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," during or prior to early May 2025.
Rating:
Rating: False
A rumor shared online in early May 2025 claimed stand-up comedian Bill Maher experienced a "tense exchange" during an interview with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, on HBO's political talk show "Real Time With Bill Maher," during or prior to early May 2025. For example, on May 3, the DP Insights YouTube channel posted a 24-minute video (archived) displaying the title, "Jasmine Crockett Stuns Bill Maher on Live TV with a Savage Comeback—Audience Left in Shock!" The clip's thumbnail image showed Crockett purportedly saying of Maher, "You f***ing weasel!"
The video's description read:
During a tense exchange on "Real Time with Bill Maher," Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett sat across from a host known for cutting guests off and controlling the narrative. But when he dismissed her with a comment about "young progressives being too emotional," the mood in the room changed fast. What came next wasn't loud, but it shook the entire set — and stunned everyone watching.
This isn't just about a viral moment. It's about what happens when someone refuses to shrink, stays calm and speaks the kind of truth that leaves no space for sarcasm. As applause grew and backlash followed, one sentence kept echoing across social media and living rooms alike: "I'm not being small."
However, the rumor Maher interviewed Crockett was false. The bottom of video's text description included a disclaimer specifying its content as a work of fiction, reading in part, "The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment." The first second of the video — a very quick moment — also featured a similar disclaimer.
Maher has never interviewed Crockett, at least not during or prior to early May 2025. Searches of the official "Real Time With Bill Maher" website (archived), as well as Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo, found no credible information about her appearing as a guest on his TV show.
A representative for HBO did not yet respond to an email asking if they wished to share an official statement about the matter. Crockett's office declined comment.
The video's text description also displayed an "altered or synthetic content" label — a reference to the video's maker appearing to use generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools to write the script and create the corresponding voice narration audio track. In a scan of the script, the AI-detection website Copyleaks determined a high likelihood someone used an AI tool to quickly write the full text.
According to a reverse-image search, the pictures of Crockett and Maher displayed in the thumbnail image and full video originated from past interviews on MSNBC and CNN — not HBO.
Maher speaks on Crockett's choice of words
Separate from the false rumor, it is true that, in early March 2025, Maher at least once criticized Crockett on his show. Maher specifically took issue with the way Crockett spoke about President Donald Trump's address before Congress from March 4.
During an interview with the progressive network MeidasTouch, Crockett said in part, "This is not America. This is a terrible nightmare. Somebody slap me and wake me the f*** up because I'm ready to get on with it."
Later that same week, Maher, commenting on the interview clip during his March 7 show, said, "And here's Jasmine Crockett, who is, I thought, a big leader in the Democratic Party. Her quote is, 'This is a terrible nightmare. Somebody slap me and wake me the f*** up because I'm ready to get on with it.' Uh, on with what, would be my first question. And also, this is, this is the way a leader- this is how a podcaster talks, or some s***. 'F--- it, man.' Can you imagine, I don't know, Obama saying, 'Oh, man, dude. This s*** is whack. F*** it. Slap me. I'm f***ing over it.' I mean, c'mon man."
For further reading, a previous fact check examined the false rumor that U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts fined Crockett $200,000.
Sources:
"AI Detector - Free AI Checker for ChatGPT, GPT-4, Gemini & More." Copyleaks, https://copyleaks.com/ai-content-detector.
"TV News Archive." Archive.org, https://archive.org/details/tv.
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