Bill Maher mocked the usual suspects on Real Time – politicians like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro were in the firing line – but a new, more glamorous name was also a big topic of discussion. On Saturday, the host spoke candidly about Barbie's snubs at the Oscars.
“What a week!” Maher began his opening monologue. “First, Margot Robbie gets snubbed at the Oscars. Then Taylor Swift gets booed at the soccer game. If you know a rich blonde bombshell, give her a hug.”
Later in the show, Maher discussed this year's Oscar nominations in more detail. While Barbie received a whopping eight nominations, leading actress Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig were snubbed by the Academy.
“The matter has been referred to the International Criminal Court and is being investigated for war,” Maher joked about the controversy.
Maher continued: “I don’t know why this is such a huge controversy now,” he said. “I mean, best actress. That's the category, you know, [Robbie] lost to other actresses. It's not like they gave Vin Diesel her space. Is this really the patriarchy?”
Later in the episode, Maher still couldn't let the Barbie fuss go. The host asked guests Seth MacFarlane and Rep. Adam Schiff if they thought the lack of Barbie nominations meant Americans were living in a patriarchy
“I don’t think you can tell by the fact that Barbie wasn’t nominated,” Schiff said.
Maher continued with his key takeaways from the film: “I remember seeing it in the theater and I liked it, it's entertaining, but at some point the Barbies have to win back the Kens, and they do it by themselves and the woman I was with said, 'I don't know any woman today who would do that.'”
It's not all bad news for Barbie. The film was nominated for Best Picture, meaning Robbie – who served as a producer on the picture – actually has a single nomination. Gerwig also received an award in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.