Bill Maher: ‘I’m Not an Anti-Vaxxer,’ But…

 

Bill Maher jumped right into the vaccine issue on the Real Time panel tonight, and added onto his long, long history of pretty strong skepticism on vaccine science. Mediaite chronicled Maher’s history of questioning vaccines, even saying at one point, “I would never get a swine flu vaccine or any vaccine.”

Tonight Maher said quite strongly, “I’m not an anti-vaxxer.” However…

He still insisted he’s an “anti-flu shot guy” and has some serious problems with how the media coverage of anyone remotely questioning vaccines is basically “shut the fuck up” and “don’t ask any questions.” Guest Marianne Williamson agreed with Maher that it’s offensive to be called “anti-science” or “kooks” just for their skepticism about the pharmaceutical industry.

Maher also shot down any comparisons between vaccine skepticism and global warming denialism. There’s pretty definitive science, he said, about the planet, whereas the human body is constantly changing and the medical industry “has had to retract a million things.”

He also seemingly argued that when you get vaccines, your immune system stops reacting the way it should, and that can cause serious problems for a person’s body.

Watch the video below, via HBO:

[image via screengrab]

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Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac