Bill Maher scolded the musicians who walked away from a Trump-backed concert honoring America’s 250th birthday, saying their exit hands Democrats a bad look.
The comedian spent part of his Friday monologue on the topic during the June 5 broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time.” “They all pulled out,” Maher said, according to the New York Post. “This is a question about what looks best for the Democrats, because I don’t think that looks good. It looks like you are just what people say about you, you don’t really love America. It looks [like] you think Trump is more important than the country itself.”
Maher argued the walkout backfired and handed the spotlight entirely to the president. “Now it’s just a big MAGA rally, this whole thing,” he said. “Now it’s Trump and Lee Greenwood. Wouldn’t it have been better to play this gig? Can’t we all just celebrate America itself and leave Trump out of it?” (RELATED: ‘It’s Better!’: Bill Maher Applauds DOJ Move To Bring Back Firing Squad Executions)
Bill Maher SLAPS AROUND the artist that PULLED out of the Freedom 250 Concert: “They all pulled out. This is a question of what looks best for the Democrats because I don’t think that looks good. It looks like you are just what people say about you: you don’t really love America.… pic.twitter.com/DJP35wbT1P
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) June 6, 2026
Six of the original nine acts abandoned the Great American State Fair lineup after the bill was revealed, including The Commodores, Morris Day and the Time, Young MC and others, with several saying they had been misled about the event’s political ties, according to CNN.
Country singer Martina McBride was among the first to step away. “I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” she wrote on Instagram.
Poison frontman Bret Michaels offered a similar account. “Unfortunately, what was presented to us as a celebration of our country has evolved into something much more divisive than what I agreed to be a part of,” he wrote on Instagram.
Freedom 250, the organization behind the festival, has insisted the celebration remains nonpartisan, and Trump agreed to headline the opening ceremony on June 24 after the departures, according to ABC News.
Trump rolled out his own roster on Truth Social, naming Greenwood to open with “God Bless the U.S.A.” and touting tenor Christopher Macchio.