Bill Maher’s most controversial comments about 9/11 came on his ABC show “Politically Incorrect” on September 17, 2001, when he contrasted U.S. military actions with the hijackers’ actions and later had to apologize and clarify what he meant.

What he actually said

On that episode, Maher was responding to guest Dinesh D’Souza, who argued that the 9/11 hijackers were “warriors” and not “cowards.”

Maher then said that the United States had “been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away,” calling that “cowardly,” and added that “staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.”

Why it was so controversial

These remarks were widely interpreted as implying that the hijackers were brave and that the U.S. military was cowardly, which sparked intense backlash in the post‑9/11 climate.

Advertisers pulled out, some ABC affiliates stopped airing the show, and “Politically Incorrect” was ultimately canceled the following year, with the 9/11 comments often cited as a major factor.

Maher’s later clarification and apology

Soon after, Maher went on air to say that he had not intended to insult the men and women in uniform and apologized, stressing that his “cowardly” remark was aimed at political leaders and the way America used long‑distance weapons, not at soldiers.

In later interviews, he said he regretted saying it “that night,” but maintained he was trying to make a political point about U.S. policy and the language used after 9/11, not praise terrorism.

How it’s viewed today

The exchange is now often cited as an early‑2000s flashpoint over free speech, patriotism, and “acceptable” criticism right after 9/11.

Maher still occasionally gets asked about it in interviews, where he tends to frame it as a badly phrased but honest critique of U.S. foreign policy rather than an endorsement of the attackers.

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