Recent Bill Maher Repeat Topped CNN’s Weekly Ratings

CNN's April 12 Saturday night rebroadcast of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher was the network's top primetime show for the week of April 7, drawing 900,000 viewers, the highest for a Maher rerun on CNN since March 1, per Nielsen live-plus-same-day data. The episode featured Maher recounting his 12-minute White House visit with Donald Trump.

Despite outperforming all other CNN primetime programs that week, Real Time ranked second in its timeslot, surpassing MSNBC’s Ayman (390,000 viewers) but trailing Fox News’ Life, Liberty & Levin (1,535,000 viewers).

CNN began airing Real Time repeats on Saturday nights in March 2023, where it has consistently drawn strong viewership. This success prompted CNN to launch its own comedy panel show, Have I Got News For You, which airs after Maher and also attracts sizable audiences compared to CNN’s other primetime offerings.

Maher’s White House visit, facilitated by mutual friend Kid Rock, sparked controversy given his long-standing criticism of Trump. Despite their history of trading insults, Maher described the meeting as cordial, noting a disconnect between the gracious Trump he met and the president portrayed on TV.