HBO's Bill Maher
William (Bill) MaherBill Maher tees off on 'f---ing stupid' 'defund the police' message Bill Maher: 'Reckless experiment' of coronavirus shutdowns may have fueled Floyd protests Bill Maher offers 'signs you're a Karen' list: 'You were voted most likely to make a citizen's arrest' MORE and former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly agreed that the news media is "completely biased" during an interview on HBO's "Real Time" on Friday.
Kelly argued during the segment that too many journalists allow their personal feelings to be presented, while Maher asserted that "money and conflict" guide the bias.
"The media's so messed up right now, it's disheartening to me. And I've felt this way for a long time," Kelly told Maher after receiving a warm welcome from Maher's live studio audience.
"Not just since Trump. And I know Trump's rhetoric is too strong, the 'enemy of the people' and all that, and I know why he says it. There are still amazing journalists out there doing great work. But the media is completely biased."
"Biased politically?" Maher asked.
"Oh, 100 percent, yes," Kelly replied.
"You worked for Fox News. I think there's another side to the story," Maher countered.
"Of course, Bill. Of course. But Fox News was born and did so well because the rest of the media was so biased to the left," Kelly noted.
“You know what the media is biased toward? Money," Maher replied to some applause. "They’re biased toward money and conflict, because that’s what sells. I was watching the Virginia rally this week. There was a gun rally. It was peaceful. And you could see how disappointed the media was that the civil war didn’t break out.”
Kelly responded by sharing that she used to watch CNN when getting ready for "The Kelly File" at Fox, but said the network has changed into everything President Trump
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"My view is CNN became the things Trump said they were and weren't and now they are. They're basically indistinguishable from NBC."
Kelly stayed out of the public spotlight for a year after parting ways with NBC in October 2018 over a controversy regarding blackface. At the time, Kelly said it was "OK" when she was growing up to wear blackface "as long as you dressed up as a character." She later apologized, but NBC still abruptly canceled her show.
She has since done two interviews in the past few months with Fox News's Tucker Carlson
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Maher also asked if she missed being on the air.
“I missed being a voice of reason in the storm, because there’s so much hysteria in the media—for and against [Trump]," Kelly responded. "And when I left 'The Kelly File,' I remember feeling like I might have a societal obligation to stay, because I did owe it to my audience… but I have three little people who I owe more to in my apartment."
Kelly has a husband and three young children, which she cited as one of the reasons she wanted to leave primetime at Fox News.
