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Bill Maher Reveals Why Ben Affleck Hasn’t Returned to Real Time in 12 Years

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Bill Maher said an on-air spat with Ben Affleck is the reason he has never returned to “Real Time” – or agreed to be on his podcast.

Twelve years ago, Maher and podcaster Sam Harris made comments about Islam that Affleck called “gross” and “racist.” Maher said on an episode of “Club Random” this week that that segment is still the one he gets asked about the most.

On his Monday episode of “Club Random,” his guest Max Amini applauded Maher for being able to challenge guests on his show, bringing up the incident with “The Accountant” star, specifically.

During the incident, Affleck had pushed back on Maher and Harris’ generalizations about Islam. As the conversation intensified, Affleck appeared to be visibly distressed, putting his face in his hands.

“I love him, but we just are going to disagree on that one,” Maher said on the Monday’s episode of “Club Random.” “I don’t know. Maybe if I talked to him privately or it’s been, you know, 12 years, maybe I think there’s a middle ground.”

Among the claims Maher made in his argument, he asserted that Islam is “the only religion that acts like the mafia that will f—ing kill you if you say the wrong thing.” Harris questioned the existence of Islamophobia, calling it a “meme” and asserting that “Islam is the motherload of bad ideas.”

“How about more than a billion people who aren’t fanatical, who don’t punch women, who just want to go to school, have some sandwiches, pray five times a day, and don’t do any of the things you’re saying of all Muslims?” Affleck said. “It’s stereotyping.”

Maher said that he has reached out to Affleck’s team, asking him to come back every year, but he has not complied. He even quipped that he bought his house from the movie star, but he can not get him back on the series.

Maher added that Harris and Affleck have apparently made up, but he and the “Argo” star have not reconciled their differences yet.

“More people have mentioned that episode to me than anything,” he said. “It wasn’t the best episode we ever had, but it got emotional with a movie star. That’s America.”

Watch the full episode of “Club Random” above.

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Seth Meyers Questions Future of WHCD After ‘Decoy Plane’ Drama

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Seth Meyers may be off the air, but he’s still ready to roast Donald Trump for the president’s “decoy plane” fiasco.

“Do you think now, the press should stop doing the White House Correspondents Dinner after we know that the president put them all on a plane that was a decoy plane,” Meyers laughed on Wednesday. “So the president was in a different plane because it was too dangerous to be in a plane that the press was on. I mean, this story, I thought we’d heard everything that was great about — not great, let me stress. None of it’s great. That we’d heard all of the craziest details about President Trump leaving Turkey on the old Air Force One.”

Meyers got together with “Late Night With Seth Meyers” writer Sal Gentile on “A Closer Look Out of Office,” a YouTube show where they could casually break down some of the biggest stories that have occurred during their hiatus. They opened the episode by breaking down the story of Trump sneaking off of a plane in Turkey due to a perceived assassination threat from Iran, with members of the press and Trump’s own staff left behind on the plane that was supposedly at risk.

“He wasn’t on that plane because it wasn’t safe to be on that plane,” Meyers quipped.

“In fact, he hid in a catering cart to go from the decoy plane to where he would actually fly from,” Gentile added. “So my answer to your question would be I think they should only do it, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, if everybody can fit into the catering cart and do it there.”

“I will say, if it was fun, if it was a good-natured thing, it would be very fun if he said he wasn’t coming and then a big catering truck drove down the aisle and they played rock and roll music and he came out the back,” Meyers added. You can watch the full video below.

Trump drew criticism for the stunt, which endangered those who remained on the “decoy plane,” after it was first confirmed by the Washington Post on August 10. The White House Correspondents’ Association directly commented on the matter, releasing a statement sharing that they met with Trump’s senior administration officials amid concerns over press safety.

“I will say this: Do you know how real the risk has to be to also risk letting him … run wild in a catering truck?” Meyers offered.

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Hayden Panettiere’s Death Probe Adds Drug Enforcement Agency

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The Drug Enforcement Agency joined the probe into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere Wednesday, according to multiple media reports.

Sources told ABC News on Wednesday that the DEA is now assisting the Greenville City Police Department in South Carolina, which remains the lead investigative agency on the case. TMZ also reported that the DEA is assisting on parallel death investigations into Panettiere’s passing, as the Greenville police department and the coroner’s office are both currently investigating the matter.

Representatives for the DEA, Greenville police department and Panettiere did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

However, the update did come a day after the local authorities shared details from the scene, which occurred at a private residence in Greenville where she was pronounced dead.

Per the report, an officer responded to an EMS assist request for an unresponsive individual on Sunday. The officer arrived at the residence in question, noting that Panettiere had been with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, as well as his brother, Zack, at the time of her passing.

The report noted that it was unknown if the actress had been using drugs or alcohol when she died. Though, the officer’s report said Brian had showed them a bag of medication she had been taking.

On Monday, the coroner’s office shared that Panettiere’s cause and manner of death “remain pending [amid] further investigation and the completion of additional studies.” However, per dispatch calls reviewed by People and TMZ, the event was called in by an Emergency Medical Service worker reporting an apparent overdose.

Panettiere, a veteran actress known for her work on “Heroes,” “Nashville,” the “Scream” franchise and “Remember the Titans,” was only 36. Her father, Skip Panettiere, shared word of her death Sunday night in a statement to media.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said at the time. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”

She is survived by her daughter Kaya, whom she shared with ex Wladimir Klitschko.

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Palisades Fire Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Revised Charges

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The man accused of starting the Palisades Fire that destroyed thousands of homes in January 2025 pleaded not guilty to revised federal arson charges against him.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, is accused of starting a fire along a hiking trail above Pacific Palisades on Jan. 1, 2025. The fire was not fully extinguished. Prosecutors allege that the small fire, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, grew into the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed about 6,000 homes and other structures.

In the first trial in June, the jury came to a deadlocked 10-2 decision in favor of acquittal on all three felony counts. The prosecution characterized Rinderknecht’s New Year’s Day fire and the Palisades fire as a single, continuous event.

A federal judge declared a mistrial June 25 after jurors failed to reach a verdict following nearly two days of deliberations.

Rinderknecht was initially charged with three federal counts in connection with the fire, including destruction of property by fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and setting timber afire.

The new indictment against the Uber driver narrows the case to two felony counts, dropping one of the charges he previously faced.

Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida nine months after the Palisades fire erupted.

In his closing statements of the June trial, Rinderknecht’s defense attorney Steven Haney argued that “this case is not about whether fire happened,” adding, “It’s about cause and integrity.”

“You might not like Jonathan at the end of this trial, but that doesn’t mean he’s guilty,” Haney added. “You’re not to convict a man if you don’t like him.”

Investigators found that the suspect was working as an Uber driver on New Year’s Eve, and that he parked and walked up a trail after dropping a passenger off in the Palisades. He allegedly took videos showing himself lighting objects on fire.

His retrial is scheduled to start Nov. 2.

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