REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER April 17 guests include Kara Swisher, Rahm Emanuel, and Jake Sullivan as the HBO late-night series returns Friday, April 17. The new episode airs from 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET on HBO and will also be available to stream on HBO Max, featuring Maher’s signature opening monologue, one-on-one interview, panel discussion, and “New Rules.”
This week’s Real Time With Bill Maher April 17 2026 lineup features Kara Swisher, the award-winning podcast host, executive producer, and host of CNN’s Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever. Joining the panel are Rahm Emanuel, former White House Chief of Staff, former Chicago mayor, and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, alongside Jake Sullivan, co-host of The Long Game podcast, Harvard professor, and former U.S. National Security Advisor.
TUNE-IN DETAILS
Friday, April 17
10:00–11:00 PM ET / 7:00–8:00 PM PT on HBO
Streaming on HBO Max
MORE COVERAGE
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In 2023, Mediaite named Bill Maher #6 on their list of the most influential names in news media and noted, “Each Friday, Maher is able to hit the right topic and right guests to dominate Saturday’s social media buzz, and the comments made by those guests follow them into Sunday interviews and the next week’s conversations in politics and culture.”
Maher headlined his first special on HBO in 1989 and has starred in 12 solo specials for the network to date including, “Bill Maher: Be More Cynical” (2000), “I’m Swiss” (2005), “Bill Maher… But I’m Not Wrong” (2010), “Bill Maher: Live from Oklahoma” (2018), and his most recent, “#Adulting” (2022).
First on “Politically Incorrect” and for more than twenty years on “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 41 Emmy nominations.
Maher’s 13th comedy special for the network “Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?” debuted January 10 on HBO and is available to stream on Max.
The executive producers of REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER are Bill Maher, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Billy Martin; co-executive producer, Chris Kelly; producer, Matt Wood; director, Paul Casey.
Editor-in-Chief | Seat42F, a leading source of entertainment news, information, television and movie resources.
