Bill Maher used his Friday night show to criticize Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong over comments she made about her son’s “proximity to whiteness,” according to Mediaite. The remarks came during the opening monologue of Real Time with Bill Maher and continued later in the show.
Hong is a progressive Democrat running for governor of Wisconsin. Maher brought her up as an example of what he sees as a larger problem within the Democratic Party.
Maher told viewers that Democrats need to stop treating whiteness as something negative. He said this focus on the topic is hurting the party’s chances with voters.
Maher criticizes Hong’s past remarks about her biracial son
During the segment, Maher referred to comments Hong made about her son, who is biracial. Hong’s ex-husband, chef Matt Morris, is white, and Hong is Asian American.
Maher said, “Look at this Francesca Hong. I mentioned it in the monologue, what she said about whiteness and toxicity. She described her son, now she has an ex-husband white. Okay. She’s Asian. She described it as wrestling with, this is her own son, being in proximity to whiteness. Of all the things I think the Democrats have to lose, number one, whiteness, it’s not a disease.”
Maher added that this kind of talk “has got to go.” He called it the Democratic Party’s “big flaw.” The comments Maher referenced came from a 2021 interview Hong gave to ListenMKE. In that interview, Hong spoke about raising a biracial son and how his identity might be seen by others.
Hong said in the 2021 interview, “My proximity to whiteness continues, right? My son is biracial. He is half white and half Korean, and I think navigating, you know, what his identity is and how people perceive him is always at the back of my mind.”
Maher also brought up other past comments from Hong during the show. He referenced a previous statement in which Hong called for Thanksgiving to be canceled. Hong has since said that she now considers Thanksgiving her favorite holiday.
Responding to that shift, Maher joked, “Democrats have found a candidate who hates Thanksgiving and wants to get rid of it. Yes, running for governor in Wisconsin, Francesca Hong. Have you heard about this? Yeah, Thanksgiving, she says, should be canceled. I say good. Finally, a politician willing to stand up to big stuffing.”
Maher questioned why Hong changed her position on the holiday. He said such reversals from politicians are hard to believe. He said, “I don’t believe you! I don’t believe you people who renounce things. We know what you said, you mean it, live by it. Don’t f–king squirrelly out of it!” Such political rhetoric isn’t limited to Wisconsin, as a Tennessee governor candidate recently claimed Islam is incongruent with the Constitution and promised to ban non-Christian places of worship.
Maher’s comments were part of a broader argument he made about progressive candidates and the language they use around race. He described Hong as an example of the kind of candidate he believes is out of step with most voters. Such scrutiny of candidates’ personal expressions has extended to other races, like the Maine Senate candidate whose tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol.
Published: Aug 9, 2026 09:45 am