Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher is no stranger to controversy or cutting one-liners — but his recent takedown of The View on live television had audiences howling and critics scrambling to respond.

During an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the outspoken host delivered a scathing, yet hilarious, critique of the long-running daytime talk show that quickly went viral. “Watching The View,” Maher said with a grin, “is like being trapped in a hen house during a food fight. You don’t know who’s yelling, why they’re yelling, or what’s flying through the air — but somehow, everyone walks away thinking they won.”

The roast came during a segment where Maher was discussing the polarization of American media.

While referencing the culture war playing out on cable news and daytime TV, he took a sharp detour to jab at The View, calling it “a masterclass in performative outrage.”

“You’ve got one side screaming about social justice, another defending billionaires, and Whoopi [Goldberg] trying to keep it all together like she’s babysitting a therapy group that just discovered Twitter.”

The studio audience erupted into laughter — but Maher didn’t stop there.

Maher continued his monologue by mocking the chaotic format of the show: “The irony is it’s called The View, but no one ever finishes a complete thought. It’s not a ‘view,’ it’s a verbal wrestling match with commercial breaks. ”

He also poked fun at the show’s ever-changing panel of co-hosts: “I think they spin a wheel backstage to decide who gets canceled next. The View isn’t a show — it’s a reality competition where opinions get voted off the island.”

Social media lit up following the broadcast, with fans posting clips of Maher’s roast and calling it “savagely accurate.

” The phrase “Bill Maher roasts The View” began trending on X (formerly Twitter), with users praising him for calling out what many have criticized as “incoherent daytime drama disguised as political commentary.”

“Bill Maher just said what we’ve all been thinking about The View for years,” one viral post read. “Pure gold.”

Memes flooded Reddit and Instagram, featuring Maher in a referee’s outfit breaking up imaginary fights between the show’s hosts.

While no official statement has come from ABC or the panelists on The View, sources close to the production told entertainment outlets that the segment “ruffled feathers” and was “not appreciated.”

However, some insiders admitted that the show is “used to being a cultural punching bag” and sees the attention as “business as usual.”

Maher’s comedic takedowns work because they often echo public frustration with political theater and media sensationalism.

His View roast lands not only because it was funny, but because it shined a spotlight on a broader conversation about how talk shows blur the line between news and entertainment.

Whether you agree with Maher or not, his delivery is undeniably sharp — and his critiques continue to challenge both liberal and conservative media narratives.