Home Comic Books

Kevin Smith Bashes Bill Maher For Disrespecting Stan Lee

Shortly after Stan Lee’s recent and tragic passing, Real Time host Bill Maher stirred up some drama (and that's putting it lightly) with an incendiary blog piece. The controversial article was published last weekend and saw the comedian and political commentator use Lee's death as the starting point for what was ultimately a blanket criticism of comic book culture in general, with Maher stating that comics represent an unimportant and juvenile art form and they don't deserve to be taken seriously.

Shortly after Stan Lee’s recent and tragic passing, Real Time host Bill Maher stirred up some drama (and that’s putting it lightly) with an incendiary blog piece. The controversial article was published last weekend and saw the comedian and political commentator use Lee’s death as the starting point for what was ultimately a blanket criticism of comic book culture in general, with Maher stating that comics represent an unimportant and juvenile art form and they don’t deserve to be taken seriously.

Recommended Videos

Understandably, the fan backlash came in hard and fast, and given Maher’s track record as a provocateur, it’s hardly surprising that the television personality hasn’t been very apologetic about his statements. But while Maher is seemingly hoping to move on from the controversy, a lot of folks just aren’t letting him forget about his irreverent remarks – including Kevin Smith.

On a recent episode of his podcast, Smith was asked for his thoughts on the matter and, in short, called Maher’s comments totally unnecessary – a sentiment we wholeheartedly agree with.

“[Bill] was just taking a shot when no shots are f-ckin’ necessary. And like, [Stan], he did so f-ckin’ much for this world. He put so many smiles on people’s faces. He launched imaginations. He made kids feel part of something. He made adults feel part of something. He was a whole good. Everything about him was f-ckin’ good. He was sweet, he was nice, anything you ever heard that was negative, honestly, was f-ckin’ horseshit, made up. He was a great man, I’ll miss him all of my days.”

Well said, Kevin. Again, Bill Maher’s remarks were completely uncalled for and it’s baffling that he could disrespect someone like Stan Lee who, as Smith says, put “so many smiles on people’s faces.”

The Real Time host isn’t the only person to draw condemnation in the wake of Lee’s passing though, with actor Armie Hammer also finding himself in hot water after criticizing his fellow celebrities for remembering Stan’s death by sharing photos of themselves with the writer. Thankfully, the Call Me by Your Name star has since apologized for his comments, admitting that he still needs to work on his “Twitter impulse control.”

But we digress. Stan Lee sadly passed away last Monday, and it didn’t take long for a mass outpouring of support and tributes from the four corners of the Internet to emerge. His immense legacy will live on, of course, and it seems that moviegoers even have a few more of his trademark cameos to look forward to over the coming months.