Bill Maher’s Ariana Grande Weight Joke Backfires as ‘Real Time’ Audience Groans

Bill Maher pushed his usual comedy style a little too far during the latest episode of Real Time With Bill Maher, and the audience made it clear when one of his jokes about Ariana Grande failed to land.

During his opening monologue on Friday, Maher was talking about the strange news of the week when he turned his attention to UFOs. He joked that he hoped aliens would eventually arrive and save humanity. “I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us,” Maher said.

He then brought up the latest release of UFO files by the administration. Maher mentioned reports of unusual objects, strange lights and a figure with large eyes before turning the material into a joke about Grande.

“And, by the way, the administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files. Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes – oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”

The first joke received laughs and applause from the Real Time audience. Maher then decided to continue with the subject, but his second comment produced a very different response.

“Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.” The comment was met with groans and audible reactions from people in the audience. Maher followed up by saying, “I’m saying, maybe it will help,” before quickly moving on to another topic.

The jokes come at a time when Grande has been facing plenty of public discussion about her appearance. The singer recently announced that she would no longer appear in the planned West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, where she was set to perform alongside Jonathan Bailey.

Grande has also addressed the idea of taking a break from her career. While she has not given a detailed explanation for stepping away, she said that “boundaries, they need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes.”

Her decision came as fans and online commenters continued discussing her appearance in the music video for “Petal.” Grande has not said that her break is connected to those conversations.

Maher’s comments have therefore landed during a period when Grande is already dealing with a high level of public attention. While comedy often depends on pushing boundaries, the reaction inside the studio showed that not everyone was comfortable with where Maher took the joke.

The moment also fits Maher’s long-running approach on Real Time, where he regularly targets celebrities, politicians and current events during his monologues. Still, the response to his second Grande joke was noticeably different from the laughter that greeted the first.

Deadline reported on the audience reaction, including the groans and “awws” that followed the second comment. Maher did not spend much more time on the subject, instead moving into a joke about Democrats and Thanksgiving.

For now, Grande appears to be taking some time away from the spotlight while Maher continues doing what he has built his show around: making jokes about whatever is dominating the headlines. This time, though, his audience seemed to think the joke went too far.

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