Bill Maher made a joke about Ariana Grande’s weight during Friday’s episode of “Real Time,” and drew mixed reactions from his live audience.
“I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us,” Maher said during his opening monologue. “And, by the way, the administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files. Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes. Oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”
That joke landed, receiving laughs and applause from the crowd. However, the follow-up was met with gone-too-far groans: “Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.”
The White House released a new wave of UFO files. Sightings include a triangular craft in the sky, high-speed orbs near an army base, and a stick-like figure with large eyes, but that was just Ariana Grande. pic.twitter.com/buBBGk2Ze4— Bill Maher (@billmaher) August 8, 2026
On Aug. 2, a rep for Grande announced that the multihyphenate is taking a “step back from visibility” after her Eternal Sunshine tour. The rep cited “ongoing public scrutiny as one of the reasons for the break.
