Five days after declaring he would resume “Real Time” without striking writers, Bill Maher has reversed course.

On Monday, the late night talk show host announced he will delay the return of his HBO program.

What You Need To Know

  • Bill Maher announced Monday that he will delay the return of "Real Time" until the WGA strike has ended

  • Last Thursday, Maher had said he would resume production on his late-night talk show without striking writers

  • He had justified the show's return because below-the-line staffers were suffering

  • His decision to delay his show's return comes after the WGA and AMPTP have agreed to meet

“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher posted on X. “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table, I’m going to delay the return of ‘Real Time,’ for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”

The 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America have been striking since May 2. Last Friday, the guild said it would meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture Television and Producers to work toward resolving a prolonged contract dispute over higher pay from residuals and studios’ use of artificial intelligence.

Last Thursday, Maher had justified his show’s return saying, “I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much.” Maher, who is a WGA member, pledged to honor the spirit of the strike by refraining from monologues, desk pieces, New Rules segments or editorials. He was quickly rebuked by the WGA, which pledged to picket his show.

Maher’s course reversal follows Drew Barrymore reneging on a similar decision to resume her daily talk show. "The Drew Barrymore Show" was supposed to restart Monday, but the actress reversed course on Sunday, saying she will not return until the strike has ended. Fellow CBS daytime program “The Talk” will also delay its return until after the WGA strike ends.