I know what you mean, but he (like the show is called) does try to keep it real for the whole US audience. You what they say:
"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer"
He donates between 1 and 5 million dollars to the Democratic Party.
He's pretty clear on that. Some other stuff he does I'm definitely not a fan of. He's also getting more crotchety as he gets older, so that just may shut him down - eventually.
I'm a little surprised to learn that Maher donates to the Democratic Party. He was a significant reason for Trump's win in 2016, and he's continued to trash Dems and push both-sidesing bullshit since then. He gives a national platform to many of the worst people in the world. And, of course, he's also an anti-vaxxer.
Well, I've followed and watched Bill's programs for many years, and he's always took this piss out of whichever party is in power (as a general rule) - but - this last term of Biden's he's been radically different. His nervousness of trump getting back in (trump sued him for $5m) is palpable!
He's been a life long Democratic Pragmatist for as long as I've known. And he always wants to know how his Republican adversaries think - hence the platforming.
Oh, I should add to my other answer that, yes, he's pretty bad at the vaccine thing, and I just ignore it because smart people know better than that, and he's an atheist who has a huge loyalty (family) to Israel - no matter what they do to whoever.
All in all, I wouldn't want to spend an evening with him...not really. Could even come to blows! 😅
Exactly the same as British comedian Stewart Lee - very politically funny, but a nightmare as a friend....no beers with him!