Before accused sexual harasser Neil deGrasse Tyson joined the show for a softball interview, “Real Time” host Bill Maher dedicated a large chunk of his monologue Friday night to President Trump’s unfortunate Freedom 250 concert series on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., honoring America’s 250th birthday on July 6, 2026.
“We’re having a 250th birthday party for America. A concert,” offered Maher. “They announced the lineup: Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, Morris Day, Bret Michaels. I think this is very admirable about the president — it shows that he’s concerned for the unemployed.”
Much like Trump’s embarrassing 2017 pre-inauguration concert, which boasted the likes of The Piano Guys and someone called DJ Ravidrums, his Freedom 250 Concert has been plagued by a large number of dropouts, with numerous artists alleging they were misled and unaware of Trump’s involvement before signing on. Rocker Bret Michaels, R&B group The Commodores, rapper Young MC, Morris Day and the Time, and the original singers of Milli Vanilli have all announced they’re pulling out of the show. Country star Martina McBride took to Twitter to announce she was bowing out, writing, “I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading.”
