Marc Maron Says Netflix Chose Dave Chappelle Over Trans Community and ‘That’s How Fascism Works in Business,’ Calls Out Bill Maher’s ‘Desperate Chasing of Relevance’

Marc Maron recently appeared on “Pod Save America” (via Vulture) and doubled down on his criticisms of Bill Maher. While the “WTF” host acknowledged that he joined Maher on HBO’s “Real Time” three times in the past, he has since turned on Maher in recent years. Maron already called Maher out earlier this summer for being partial to “some of the things” Donald Trump is doing in his second administration as U.S. president.

“I can’t do it,” Maron now said when “Pod Save America” host Jon Lovett asked him about Maher. “I always had a problem with his tone, and it happens with some of the other boomers, there’s this desperate chasing of relevance that changes someone’s mind in terms of how they approach what they do and also kind of makes the whole undertaking feel desperate.”

Maron added, “He’s got good joke writers who know how to write for his tone, but I can’t see past the desperation and what he’s willing to do to stay in the conversation.”

In early May, Maron called out Maher on an episode of the “WTF” podcast that featured CNN host W. Kamau Bell as a guest. Maron said: “Are you going to be like Bill Maher, you know, ‘I’m going to agree with some of the things that Trump is doing.’ It’s like, dude, you’re a bitch.”

Maron has been critical of podcasters supporting Trump. Before last year’s election, Trump appeared on Joe Rogan’s popular Spotify podcast. Shortly after, Maron posted a blog post in which he called out “comedians with podcasts” who “joke around” with “shameless, self-proclaimed white supremacists and fascists on their show,” saying, “all it does is humanize and normalize fascism.”

In his “Pod Save America” interview, Maron also took aim at Netflix (via The Daily Beast) by saying: “Fascism is good for business. Netflix will just, you know, co-opt anybody that can take that algorithm. I used to do a joke about it—Netflix can become ‘Reichflix’ very quickly.“

Maron cited the streamer’s decision to continue working with Dave Chappelle despite the comedian’s history of anti-trans jokes as the “pivotal moment,” explaining: “When they had pushback from the trans community about Chappelle, they realized after several days that that community was not going to affect their bottom line at all. And they cut ‘em loose. That is how fascism works in business.”

When podcast host Lovett noted that Netflix is home to a wide array of LGBTQ+ content despite working with Chappelle, Maron answered: “But ultimately, who’s getting the big deals? Which shows stay on the air? You know, what do they keep repeating? That’s them saying, ‘We got this other stuff and we know there’s a few of you, but we’re throwing you a bone. So, shut up.’”

Maron’s full “Pod Save America” podcast can be viewed below.