Bill Maher mocks audience for not clapping at jail comments about Democrats

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Bill Maher called out members of his studio audience during his Friday show after they showed little appreciation for an argument that the Democratic Party should admit that “some people do belong in jail.”

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The Real Time with Bill Maher host was speaking to CNN political contributor Paul Begala about a report in the Los Angeles Times that found that the rising crime rate in Portland are testing the “city’s progressive strain.”

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Maher noted that a talking point amongst right-wingers is that the soaring crime rates are in cities run by Democrats.

“This is a big Achilles heel for the Democrats, is it not?” Maher asked Begala.

“Oh, they need to get out in front of it,” Begala replied. “I want a Democrat to stand up and say, ‘You know something? Some people belong in jail.’”

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Maher apparently expected a standing ovation but Begala’s remark only garnered a smattering of applause.

“One clap for that! I think that’s very interesting,” Maher joked, resulting in more audience members clapping.

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“Let’s just pause there,” Maher continued. “One person is like, ‘yes, some people in jail’ and everybody else is going, ‘no, they don’t, nobody belongs in jail.’”

He added: “I’m going to go out on a limb, some people do belong in jail.”

The comedian has been slammed in recent months for calling out “woke” Democratic policies such as critical race theory and children transitioning genders.

“I just don’t understand why this is the hill the Democratic Party wants to die on,” Maher said last month, regarding Democrats’ support for efforts to teach children about sexual identity.

Maher has insisted that he does not support Republicans, but acknowledged that many Democratic policies are forcing supporters to move away from the party.

“Over the last three years, the number of unhoused people in the metro area has jumped from about 4,000 to at least 6,600,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “Shootings in the city have tripled. Homicides climbed from 36 in 2019 to 97 last year — a record. Lower-level crimes have spiked, too: More than 11,000 vehicles were stolen in 2022, up from 6,500 in 2019.”