Bill Maher Faces Backlash for Dolly Parton Joke

Bill Maher faced widespread criticism for a joke about Dolly Parton during his Friday night monologue on HBO's "Real Time," with many viewers and commentators calling the remark disrespectful and crude. The comedian's comments came just days after the beloved country music icon died at the age of 80.

Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, in Nashville following a brief battle with cancer, her representative confirmed. Her death prompted an outpouring of global tributes, with landmarks like the Empire State Building lit in pink and the Santa Monica Ferris wheel adorned with hearts. Her family announced she was buried on August 29, in an intimate service at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Nashville, beside her late husband, Carl Dean.

During his opening monologue on August 29, Maher acknowledged the scale of the tributes, noting that Parton's death dominated public attention despite other major world events. "All this was going on, and all America could really talk about this week was how sad it is we lost Dolly Parton," he said. He listed several of the public memorials before adding, "The Sphere in Las Vegas added a nipple," a reference to Parton's famously buxom figure.