"I don't want to make a big announcement" — Bill Maher shares possible plan to retire from stand-up comedy

Bill Maher is planning to retire from stand-up comedy later this year. The 68-year-old revealed to guest Jerry Seinfeld on his May 6, 2024 episode of Podcast Club Random that his HBO stand-up special at the end of 2024 will be the last one. However, he will continue his podcast and HBO show.

"That leads me to something I feel nervous about telling you... After this year, I'm going to stop doing (standup)," he stated.

When a stunned Seinfeld asked, "Really?" he promptly replied:

"I could go back. I don't want to make a big announcement or something. I'm doing a special at the end of the year. It'll be my 13th for HBO. That's a lot."

Maher has been involved in comedy for over four decades, beginning with his career hosting the New York comedy club's Catch a Rising Star in 1979.

Since then, he has appeared on TV shows and movies like Late Night with David Letterman, Murder, She Wrote, and D.C. Cab. He has notably hosted late-night political talk shows Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (1993–2002) and later HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher (since 2003). He started his podcast in 2022.

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"I’ve always loved it, and I’m always working on it. But I have a show" — Bill Maher explains the reason behind stand-up retirement

Maher reasoned that stand-up requires a lot of "time and effort," like "playing the cello." He told Jerry Seinfeld:

"First of all, I put a lot of time and effort into it because, as you know, stand-up is like playing the cello. You can’t just walk up there, you have to stay in practice, and I do. I’ve always loved it, and I’m always working on it. But I have a show."

The comedian has been hosting HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher for over two decades. The show has garnered widespread praise and has even been nominated for more than ten Primetime Emmy Awards and six Writer's Guild Awards.

In 2007, Maher and fellow co-producers for the show were awarded the Television Producer of the Year Award in Variety Television by the Producers Guild of America.

Adding to the host's explanation, Seinfeld quipped that he didn't know how the comedian got the time to host both the show and work on stand-up. Maher promptly joked Seinfeld would continue doing stand-up "until (he) drops," with the latter agreeing. The 68-year-old continued to explain:

"Maybe I will too. I don’t know. It’s a tough decision, but I also feel like it’s easy as we get older to not do new things. And that’s what keeps you young."

As per IMDB, Bill Maher was named No. 38 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.

However, the 68-year-old conceded stand-up has played a significant role in his life and added he might return to it. He added:

"After 40 years that’s why I don’t want to ‘make an announcement. This is my final...’ I might change my mind. It might be like cutting off a limb, and I have to go back to it."

According to the Independent, Maher's last stand-up was HBO's special titled "#Adulting," released in 2022. He is currently touring across the United States as part of "The WTF? Tour," scheduled to perform next in Atlantic City on May 18, 2024.