Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher took aim at the political left for their growing tendency to cut ties with family members and friends over political disagreements.

During a recent episode of his podcast Club Random, Maher and fellow comedian Jay Leno reflected on the intolerance of differing viewpoints, comparing today’s climate to the backlash late actor Sammy Davis Jr. faced in the 1970s for hugging then-President Richard Nixon.

“It’s so funny you mention that because today, we live in this time when you’re not allowed to have friends from the other side or cross lines politically,” Maher said during the episode. “A guy who crossed lines politically, ‘oh, the worst thing you could ever do is be friends with a Republican. Ah, call 911.’ This is what I f*cking hate about the left. The idea [of] ‘cut your family off from Thanksgiving if they voted for the wrong guy,’ f*ck off, youf*cks.”

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Maher highlighted how Davis was ostracized by the political left for his moment with Nixon, calling it “an early harbinger” of the current polarization that pressures individuals to disassociate from those with differing opinions.

Maher’s frustration with the political left isn’t new.

During a Nov. 25 segment of his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, he criticized Yale University psychiatry resident Dr. Amanda Calhoun for suggesting that it is acceptable to cut off family members who voted for President Donald Trump. Dr. Calhoun made the remarks during a Nov. 9 appearance on MSNBC’s The ReidOut.

MSNBC brings on a Yale child physiologist to tell people it’s “OK” to not see family for the holidays if a family member voted for Trump. These people are nuts. Then again, BLM’s original mandate included — “the destruction of the nuclear family.”

Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/Po3pUcMY5Q

— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) November 10, 2024

“Oh, how pure. It’s like not letting certain people sit with you on the bus,” Maher said, referencing civil rights icon Rosa Parks. “Think about that, a mental health professional advising people to isolate during the holidays. And don’t forget to drink too much and put on weight.”

Maher stressed that such advice undermines the potential for unity and healing in the nation. “You know who I really wouldn’t want to have Thanksgiving dinner with? This overly educated, extremely stupid, Ivory Tower academic. But I would, because if we ever want this nation to heal, this is what we have to do: force ourselves to reach out and find out why someone feels the way they do and makes the choices they make without prejudging them a monster. And they must do the same for you.”

Maher, who has described himself as an “old school liberal,” has frequently criticized his own side for what he sees as extreme ideological shifts.

He has condemned cancel culture and the left’s intolerance toward differing viewpoints. Speaking to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro in March 2022, Maher explained that his politics have not changed, but rather, the political left has moved further away from traditional liberal values.

“They’re not gonna get me over to the Trump side like they think they will sometimes,” Maher said on Club Random.

“But just the idea that you would cut off your family from Thanksgiving over how they voted—it’s madness.”

Maher’s remarks continue to spark debate about the growing political divide in America and the challenges of fostering understanding and unity among citizens with differing views.