Maher Stunned When Audience Doesn’t Applaud Call for Dems To Admit ‘Some People Belong In Jail’

Bill Maher was stunned by his studio audience after they responded with silence when a guest called for Democrats to declare that “some people belong in jail.”

During Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedian discussed a recent Los Angeles Times report on increased crime rates in Portland, Oregon. “Shootings, theft, and other crime test city’s progressive strain,” the headline for the story reads, highlighting soft-on-crime policies that have led to a massive increase in crimes like homicide.

“Almost all cities are Democratically-run and this is one of the big talking points on the right — that cities in America are falling apart [and] they’re run by Democrats [so] why aren’t we blaming the Democrats?” Maher said in reaction to the report.

The comedian called crime an “Achilles heel” for Democrats going into 2024. Some Democrats like New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) have recently called out lax bail reform laws as destructive to law enforcement and communities.

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

CNN contributor Paul Begala agreed.

“Oh, they need to get out in front of it. They need — I want a Democrat to stand up and say, ‘you know something? Some people belong in jail.’ The rapists, the murderers —” he said before Maher jumped in and noted only one person clapped in response to Begala’s call.

“One clap for that! I think that’s very interesting,” he said as more in the audience applauded. “Let’s just pause there. One person is like, yes, some people in jail and everybody else is going, no, they don’t, nobody belongs in jail.”

If his audience really did believe rapists and murderers don’t belong in jail, Maher wanted no part of it.

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

Watch above via HBO.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]