Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/ · CC BY 3.0

A political satirist who has hosted a national television forum on religion, politics, and the media for over three decades, first with Politically Incorrect and then, since 2003, Real Time with Bill Maher. His pointed criticism of organized religion became the basis of the 2008 documentary Religulous. Long active in animal-rights and drug-policy advocacy, he has served on PETA's board since 1997 and on NORML's advisory board. He holds 41 Primetime Emmy nominations, a win as executive producer of Vice, and received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2026.