“Real Time” host Bill Maher bashed Donald Trump’s plans for America’s 250th birthday concert—and he had fun while doing it.
“Lot of exciting things,” Maher laughed in his Friday monologue about Trump’s imagined musical extravaganza at the Great American State Fair, to take place on the National Mall to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
“After they announced this all-star lineup of musical guests, a lot of them said, ‘No, what are you talking about? We’re not playing,’” Maher said. ”That’s got to hurt a lot—when you can’t close the deal with Milli Vanilli.”
Milli Vanilli won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1990 for recordings that were later revealed to have been performed by studio session musicians. Their Grammy was rescinded—the first and only time this has happened in Grammy history.
Milli Vanilli’s original Fab Morvan will appear at the Freedom 250 concerts, as will rapper Vanilla Ice. “I don’t even vote, so I don’t even care,” Vanilla Ice told TMZ. The concerts will run June 25 to July 10.
Maher cracked that inviting Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice “is very admirable about the president; it shows he’s concerned about the unemployed.”
Scads of invited musical guests have already canceled appearances at the event. R&B group The Commodores, rapper Young MC, Morris Day and the Time, the original singers of Milli Vanilli, rocker Bret Michaels and country star Martina McBride have all ditched the show.
McBride complained she was misled when told the event would be “nonpartisan.” “I’ve spent my entire career singing songs about real people with real issues,” she wrote on X. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to be a voice for those who felt like they didn’t have one. It greatly upsets me that any fan who has been moved by my music now feels like I’m abandoning the meaning behind those songs.”
Maher had still more jabs for Trump, including attacking the president’s expensive scheme to print his own portrait on new $250 bills.
“Here’s something in the category of wow, we never used to be this country: They’re putting out a $250 bill with Trump’s face on it,” Maher quipped. “Republicans in Congress are thrilled about it. They can’t wait to carry it in their wallet. What a switcheroo: having Trump’s face next to their ass.”
