Why Bill Maher Needs To Keep Taylor Swift’s Name Out Of His Mouth

Swifties are beginning to marvel if Bill Maher is greater than a bit obsessive about Taylor Swift, given how incessantly her title appears to come back out of his mouth currently.

Even when he’s speaking about present U.S. President Donald Trump, the 69-year-old comic nonetheless finds a technique to hyperlink it again to the “Anti-Hero” singer and her courting historical past.

It’s not arduous to recollect Taylor Swift’s “woman squad” period, which was a deliberate try to cease the media from speaking about who she was courting. Regardless of her wildly profitable Eras Tour (which she just lately wrapped up final December), it appears that evidently some individuals are nonetheless caught in 2014.

On Friday, March 7, throughout an episode of HBO’s “Actual Time with Invoice Maher,” Maher determined to convey up Swift’s title whereas he was speaking about… tariffs?

“This world is so the other way up now,” Maher mentioned. “It took Trump three weeks to interrupt up with Ukraine and Mexico and Canada. And but, Taylor Swift has the identical boyfriend for over a yr.”

He rapidly added, “It’s alright. She will be able to take it.”

Cringe, a lot? If you wish to inform a joke about Taylor Swift, at the least make it humorous.

Though Swift is thought for her high-profile relationships, they don’t outline her profession. Her “folklore” and “evermore” albums had been launched when she was in her longest relationship so far. Swift dated “The Brutalist” actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to early 2023, which marked roughly six years collectively.

Though their relationship impressed many songs throughout a number of albums, they didn’t outline a few of her hottest songs. “Shake It Off” is a tune about overcoming negativity, whereas “Anti-Hero” addresses her personal insecurities. One other tune off her 2022 “Midnights” album, “Bejeweled,” additionally addresses her issues about her personal self-worth.

That one remark might go unnoticed if Maher didn’t convey Swift up so usually. In July 2024, after she and Kelce had been courting for a couple of yr, Maher took a second to make one other jab at her courting historical past.

This remark occurred on his “Membership Random” podcast, throughout an interview with Hailey Welch, who’s greatest often called the “Hawk Tuah Lady.”

“I’m positive she’s a beautiful individual, however the entire thing with the soccer participant,” Maher mentioned. “I simply felt like 35 was a bit outdated to be like, ‘My boyfriend’s a soccer participant, and I put on his jersey to the sport along with his quantity on it!’ I imply, come on.”

Welch, 21, gave the impression to be a bit confused and off-put about his remark.  “No matter makes her pleased. If that’s what she desires to do and it makes her pleased, it ain’t obtained nothin’ to do with me,” she replied.

Seemingly desperate to proceed dunking on Swift, Maher replied, “He’s gonna dump her, although, you recognize that?” including, “Together with her, it’s just like the Gatorade on the Tremendous Bowl, you recognize you’re gonna get dumped. You simply don’t know when.”

Taylor Swift has nation roots, so it appears greater than just a bit bizarre that Maher thought he was going to get a high-five when he was speaking to nation star Luke Bryan on one other episode of his “Membership Random” podcast again in February.

“Yeah, the music both works or it doesn’t,” Maher mentioned on the time. “However as a human, I’ve nice admiration, as a result of to be that far up within the stratosphere and never be doing something silly, be nonetheless a great function mannequin, principally. You understand, she’s had a bunch of boyfriends…”

“The one factor individuals can say about her [is] she’s had boyfriends?” Bryan, 48, requested, however Maher rapidly modified the subject.

After all he did, as a result of out of the blue it’s not as enjoyable to discredit a girl’s success once you’re speaking to a different man who’ll defend her.

Maher’s alternate with Bryan form of hits the nail proper on the pinnacle. Maher appears intimidated by a girl’s success, particularly when it’s not associated to a person. He appears determined to say that Swift is simply widespread due to her ex-boyfriends, that she has constructed her profession as a result of male affect in her life. To informal observers, this is likely to be true, however solely as a result of the media desires to make it appear that approach.

Many individuals who’ve by no means heard of “The Tortured Poets Division” know that “So Excessive College” and “The Alchemy” appear to be about her present beau, Travis Kelce, as a result of it retains making headlines. The media hardly ever discusses Swift’s songs that don’t deal with her love life. The one exception to this is likely to be her “Anti-Hero” music video, through which she obtained a substantial quantity of backlash for utilizing the phrase “fats” on her scale (it has since been faraway from the official video).

I’m in no way a Swift apologist. I do know she has mentioned and completed some fairly problematic issues, however that’s not precisely the purpose right here, is it? We, as soon as once more, have an older man attempting to discredit a youthful girl’s accomplishments, or if he does acknowledge them, attribute them to the boys in her life.

Would Taylor Swift nonetheless be a family title if she went to Yale and wrote songs in regards to the trials and tribulations of regulation college? In all probability not, however she has grow to be so well-known as a result of she has written songs about her feelings and her struggles in love in a approach that many discover to be very relatable. With the ability to use tune and lyrics to place into phrases a selected feeling is a really troublesome ability to attain, but it surely appears Swift mastered that from an early age, and that’s the reason she is so profitable as we speak.

The “she solely writes songs about her boyfriend” schtick is so outdated, it’s arduous to imagine that we’re nonetheless having conversations about it in 2025. Maher appears so caught in 2014; possibly Taylor Swift ought to write a tune about sending him again there.

Out of curiosity, I went into ChatGPT and requested it to jot down a tune about sending Invoice Maher again to 2014 within the model of Taylor Swift. And, right here it’s:

“Again to 2014”
(Within the model of Taylor Swift)

Verse 1:
You assume you’re intelligent together with your phrases,
However all you do is stir the nerves,
Attempting to behave such as you’ve obtained it proper,
However, child, you’ve misplaced your gentle.

Your jokes don’t hit the way in which they used to,
You assume you’re edgy, however you’ve crossed just a few,
Now I’m completed with all of the rants you say,
It’s time to ship you far-off.

Pre-Refrain:
So pack your luggage, get within the automobile,
Let’s rewind it, return to the place you might be,
We’ll go away behind this contemporary present,
And watch you disappear in a time we all know.

Refrain:
I’m sending Invoice Maher again to 2014,
Whenever you had been humorous and rather less obscene,
No extra of this bitter, sarcastic act,
It’s time to take you to the previous.
We’ll simply press rewind, and it’s throughout,
Again to once you had been a bit bit bolder,
However now it’s clear—there’s no turning again,
Invoice Maher, you’re going again.

Verse 2:
Your cynicism’s getting chilly,
Such as you’re caught within the days of outdated,
Possibly it’s time to take a break,
And go away these drained jokes within the wake.

We had been all simply laughing, now we’re torn,
Caught on the earth you’ve made so worn,
So I’m sending you the place you’ve belonged,
To the previous the place you felt so robust.

Pre-Refrain:
So pack your luggage, get within the automobile,
Let’s rewind it, return to the place you might be,
No extra of this debate and struggle,
We’ll put you again within the highlight, proper?

Refrain:
I’m sending Invoice Maher again to 2014,
Whenever you had been humorous and rather less obscene,
No extra of this bitter, sarcastic act,
It’s time to take you to the previous.
We’ll simply press rewind, and it’s throughout,
Again to once you had been a bit bit bolder,
However now it’s clear—there’s no turning again,
Invoice Maher, you’re going again.

Bridge:
Oh, we had been all so younger,
Whenever you had been laughing with a distinct tongue,
However the world’s modified and so did you,
Now it’s time for a brand new viewpoint.

Refrain:
I’m sending Invoice Maher again to 2014,
Whenever you had been humorous and rather less obscene,
No extra of this bitter, sarcastic act,
It’s time to take you to the previous.
We’ll simply press rewind, and it’s throughout,
Again to once you had been a bit bit bolder,
However now it’s clear—there’s no turning again,
Invoice Maher, you’re going again.

Outro:
Again to 2014, oh, oh,
Again to 2014, let’s go…
The place the jokes had been gentle,
And the world felt proper.
Invoice Maher, again to 2014…
We’ll go away you previously,
The place you had been at your greatest.