Bill Maher says he’s refusing to release a two-hour interview with Ye, the controversial rapper formerly called Kanye West.
On Monday’s episode of “TMZ Investigates,” the late night host revealed that he’s withholding the interview because he sees Ye as an antisemite and doesn’t want to give him a platform.
“I thought it was going to be a learning moment,” Maher said of their conversation, which was recorded for his “Club Random” podcast.
“We were here for two hours. By the way, we had an amazing, fun time,” added Maher, who is not religious but whose mother was Jewish.
“He’s a very charming antisemite. And by the way, he’s not the only one in America who feels that way. It’s not like the Jews are universally loved except for Kanye West.”
Elsewhere in the “TMZ Investigates” episode, Maher insisted that Ye’s influence and popularity among young fans has been “helpful for spreading the fertilizer ... for this idea that Israel and the Jews are like the worst people in the world.”
“The problem, I think, is that he appeals mostly — of course, he’s a rock star — to young people,” Maher said. “They don’t know much, and they surely don’t know much about the Middle East or Jews.”
Representatives for Maher and Ye did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment.
Ye has received massive criticism in recent years due to his antisemitic comments, which included claiming that he would go “death con 3” on Jewish people and praising Adolf Hitler.
Fashion partnerships that Ye had with Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap ended after the rapper made such remarks. He was also dropped by the Creative Artists Agency, a famed Hollywood talent agency.
Late last year, the “Jesus Walks” rapper apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post written in Hebrew.
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” Ye wrote in December.
“It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”