Editing Politically Incorrect (section)

==9/11 controversy and cancellation==
On September 11, 2001, conservative political commentator [[Barbara Olson]] was on her way to Los Angeles to appear as a guest on ''Politically Incorrect'', when [[American Airlines Flight 77|the airplane she was on]] was hijacked and flown into [[the Pentagon]] during the [[September 11 attacks]].

In the aftermath of the attacks, U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] said that the terrorists responsible were cowards. During the September 17, 2001 episode, one of Maher's guests, [[Dinesh D'Souza]], said "These are warriors. And we have to realize that the principles of our way of life are in conflict with people in the world. And so—I mean, I'm all for understanding the sociological causes of this, but we should not blame the victim. Americans shouldn't blame themselves because other people want to bomb them."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brownfield |first=Paul |date=2001-09-26 |title=Troubled Timing Takes Maher Beyond 'Politically Incorrect' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-26-ca-49846-story.html |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Maher agreed, and replied: "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, [it's] not cowardly."<ref name="bohlen2001">Bohlen, Celestine. (2001-09-21.) [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B04EFDA163DF93AA1575AC0A9679C8B63 "Think tank; In new war on terrorism, words are weapons, too"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.</ref> Similar comments were made by others in other media.<ref name="bohlen2001"/>

Advertisers withdrew their support, and some ABC [[List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|affiliates]] stopped airing the show temporarily.<ref name="bohlen2001"/> White House press secretary [[Ari Fleischer]] denounced Maher, warning that "people have to watch what they say and watch what they do."<ref>Carter, Bill; Barringer, Felicity (2001-09-28) [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE4D91F3AF93BA1575AC0A9679C8B63 "A nation challenged: Speech and expression; in patriotic time, dissent is muted"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.</ref> Maher apologized, and explained that he had been criticizing U.S. military policy, not American soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2001/09/24/daily3.html?page=all|title='Politically Incorrect' suspended by local ABC affiliate|first=Matt|last=Harrington|publisher=Triad Business Journal|date=2001-09-24|access-date=2015-09-19}}</ref>

The show was canceled the following June, which Maher and many others saw as a result of the controversy, although ABC denied that the controversy was a factor and said the program was canceled due to declining ratings.<ref name="cbs0505">(2003-05-05.) [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/maher-politically-incorrect-on-broadway/ "Maher: Politically incorrect on broadway".] ''CBS News'' website. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.</ref><ref name="kirn2002">Kirn, Walter. (2002-05-26.) [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9805EEDE1338F935A15756C0A9649C8B63 "The way we live now: 5-26-02; The end of the affair"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' online archive. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.</ref><ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/life/2002/2002-06-29-maher.htm "Maher tapes final episode of 'Politically Incorrect'"]. ''USA Today'' online, retrieved on 2007-10-09.</ref> Maher said that the show struggled for advertisers in its final months.<ref>Maher, Bill. (2006-09-10.) [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-maher10sep10,1,1091514.story?coll=la-headlines-suncomment "When can we finally be funny again?"] ''The Los Angeles Times'' Retrieved 2007-10-09.</ref> There were subsequently comments in various media on the irony that a show called ''Politically Incorrect'' was canceled because its host had made a supposedly politically incorrect comment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston-legal.org/script/BL02x2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-06-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305072356/http://www.boston-legal.org/script/BL02x2.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boston-legal.org/script/BL02x2.pdf | title=Boston Legal: Schadenfreude | publisher=Boston Legal | access-date=2016-06-29}}</ref>

The show was replaced on ABC by ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]'' in 2003.

Maher rebounded with an hour-long weekly program on [[HBO]] called ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]'' premiering on February 21, 2003, which follows a similar format, with fewer guests since the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].