Entertainment · October 24, 2026
Maher, 70, Fawns Over Leavitt, 29, in Humiliating Display
Karoline Leavitt, former White House Press Secretary, appeared as the featured guest on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. During the interview, Leavitt discussed the abrupt departure of her successor, Katie Zacharia, who was ousted after less than a week in the role and a single 14-minute press briefing. Leavitt defended Zacharia, describing the position as one of the hardest in Washington and comparing the high-pressure environment and subsequent exit to an episode of Donald Trump's former reality show, 'The Apprentice.' The interview follows recent reports of Maher dining at the White House with President Trump, Kid Rock, and Stephen A. Smith.
Read the original coverage
- The Daily BeastMainstream
Maher, 70, Fawns Over Leavitt, 29, in Humiliating Display
Read at The Daily Beast ↗ - TMZTabloid
Karoline Leavitt Defends Katie Zacharia to Bill Maher, Cites Trump's 'The Apprentice'
Read at TMZ ↗ - DeadlineTrade
Karoline Leavitt Compares Katie Zacharia's Abrupt Exit To 'Apprentice'
Read at Deadline ↗ - VarietyTrade
Bill Maher’s Embarrassing Karoline Leavitt Interview on ‘Real Time’
Read at Variety ↗
Reported by multiple outlets
- Karoline Leavitt was the featured guest on Real Time with Bill Maher.
- Leavitt discussed the departure of her successor, Katie Zacharia.
- Katie Zacharia was ousted after serving less than a week and conducting one briefing.
- Leavitt described the Press Secretary role as a 'tough job' with 'enormous' pressure.
- Bill Maher recently attended a White House dinner with Donald Trump.
Reported by only some outlets
- Bill Maher referred to his dinner with Trump during his monologue, saying, 'Yeah, I did it again, bitches... I like these dinners.'
- President Trump suggested to reporters that Maher's on-screen criticisms are 'mostly bluster.'
- The White House dinner included Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith.
- Maher took shots at Trump in his opening monologue before the interview.
Confirmed
- Karoline Leavitt appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on October 23, 2026.
- Katie Zacharia's tenure as Press Secretary lasted less than a week.
- Bill Maher dined with Donald Trump at the White House earlier in the month.
Reported
- The press in the briefing room are 'vicious.' (Karoline Leavitt)
- Maher's criticisms of Trump are mostly bluster. (Donald Trump (as reported by Variety))
Political angle
Left: The Daily Beast portrays the interview as a 'humiliating' and 'cozy' display of Maher's shifting allegiance toward Trump.
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