During Friday’s edition of “Real Time” with Bill Maher, the host shocked the audience with a salacious joke about Fox News personality Tucker Carlson and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Carlson has sparked widespread backlash for peddling Russian propaganda about Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in his Fox News show.
“New rule, somebody has to get in touch with Vladimir Putin’s mistress, the gymnast Alina Kabaeva, and ask her what she’s smiling about,” Maher said as he displayed a picture of the Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast performing a handstand with her legs bent back over her head and a large smile.
“And, uh, what do you call a position where you blow Putin and twist yourself up in knots?” he asked.
“Oh, oh right — the Tucker Carlson,” he said with a photo of the anchor with his mouth agape, gaining applause from the audience.
New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni, who was a guest on the show, looked stunned after Maher delivered his joke. Watch his reaction below.
What @FrankBruni's expression when Bill Maher tells a @TuckerCarlson BJ joke on #RealTime! pic.twitter.com/NiO0SKl3Dh
— Bob Brigham (@BobBrigham) March 12, 2022