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Steve-O has come a very long way since his Jackass days, and he’s managed to say sober for over 15 years following a well-documented struggle with substance abuse. Most people would be more than happy to do what they can to help him stay on the wagon, but it sounds like Bill Maher isn’t one of them.
I can’t say I’ve ever encountered a human being who’s self-identified as a fan of Bill Maher, who initially made a name for himself with a late-night show that debuted on Comedy Central in 1993 before taking his talents to HBO to launch Real Time a decade later.
The fact that he’s managed to helm a television show for more than 30 years would lead you to assume he’s doing something right, and a couple of years ago, the man who has mastered the art of the Smug Liberal archetype decided to branch out with Club Random, a podcast where the longtime marijuana activist typically chats with his guest of the week with a joint in his hand.
That show has seen Maher chat with notable names from many different walks of life, and during the most recent episode of Wild Ride!, Steve-O revealed he was invited to appear on Club Random but ultimately turned down the opportunity after Maher declined to honor a fairly reasonable request.
The admission surfaced during his conversation with Patrick Bet-David, an entrepreneur and political commentator who appeared on Club Random earlier this year. Steve-O noted he had the chance to do the same but declined because Maher refused to not smoke weed during the recording, saying:
“I’m a clean and sober guy. It’s very important that I maintain my sobriety. I’m approaching 16 years. There’s nothing I value more than my sobriety, and there’s nothing I protect more than my recovery.
I found it kind of upsetting when the Bill Maher podcast reached out. His whole thing is he smokes pot the whole time he interviews people. I said ‘Hey, I’ll happily go on there, but could he, out of respect for my sobriety, refrain from smoking pot?’
He said, “No. That’s a dealbreaker.'”
Steve-O noted he’d been on other podcasts with a heavy focus on weed (including Mike Tyson’s) that were more than happy to honor his request when he stopped by, and the fact that Maher couldn’t do the same is a pretty rough look.