Real Time With Bill Maher is taking a week off after its host reportedly contracted COVID-19. The breakthrough case, as Maher was reportedly vaccinated, has shut down production on the HBO news program and means the network will have to
As The Hollywood Reporter detailed, Maher tested positive while gearing up for the Friday show’s weekly schedule, but so far isn’t showing any severe symptoms, in part because he’s fully vaccinated according to the network.
Maher tested positive during weekly checks of the show’s staff. Per HBO, the host is fully vaccinated, is not showing any symptoms and “feels fine.”
“Real Time production has taken every precaution following COVID CDC guidelines,” HBO said in a statement. “No other staff or crew members have tested positive at this time. The show will be rescheduled at a later date.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Max Brooks and Dan Carlin were the scheduled guests for Real Time on Friday.
As THR pointed out, Maher was the first show of its kind to bring back an audience in September, albeit limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Maher’s positive test makes him one of the rare breakthrough cases of coronavirus, as he was reportedly fully vaccinated at the time. But that he’s apparently feeling fine means, at least in theory, that vaccine is doing its job to make it a milder case of infection thus far. Hopefully he continues to feel fine and the news is a mere blip — and his inclusion in a very small statistical oddity — in the show’s production schedule and no one else on the show tests positive.