Comedian Bill Maher left his audience in stunned silence after dropping a punchline about the death of former Vice President Dick Cheney during a recent taping of Real Time with Bill Maher.
While riffing on New York City politics, Maher turned his attention to Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder who recently ran for office.
“His campaign,” Maher quipped, “was dogged by accusations of: we thought you were dead.” The jab drew laughs - until Maher pivoted to a darker note.
“Speaking of, we didn’t know you were dead, Dick Cheney died,” Maher said flatly.
Groans and Gasps Follow the Joke
The reaction in the studio was immediate.
Groans rippled through the audience as Maher momentarily appeared confused by the crowd’s discomfort.
Throwing up his hands in mock surrender, he gestured as if to say it was all in jest. The laughter eventually returned, albeit tentatively.
“How many people thought he was dead? Come on!” Maher added, pressing the moment further.
He did manage to acknowledge Cheney’s political legacy - calling him “the most powerful vice president ever” - before landing one final jab, saying Cheney’s dying wish was to be “put in the ground to live his dream of slowly turning into oil.”
Maher continued the roast by pointing out Cheney's complicated rapport with Donald Trump.
“Cheney used to send troops to occupy other countries,” he said, in a reference to Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities. “They were very different kinds of Republicans.”
The Former Vice President’s Legacy
Dick Cheney died at the age of 84 due to complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. He died surrounded by family, who later released an emotional statement confirming his passing.
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming's Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the family said.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney was a towering figure in American politics, having served two terms alongside President George W. Bush between 2001 and 2009. He was widely seen as the architect of the controversial “war on terror” strategy, and he held office on the morning of the September 11 attacks.
A Contentious Post-White House Chapter
In the years following his time in office, Cheney became a lightning rod for criticism from both sides of the aisle. His aggressive foreign policy views drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who repeatedly slammed Cheney for his pro-war stance.
That political rift extended to the next generation. Cheney’s daughter, Liz Cheney, emerged as one of the fiercest Republican critics of Trump - especially in the aftermath of the 2020 election, when she took a leading role in examining his efforts to stay in power.