Tim Allen, Bill Maher dismiss DEI practices in creative process, argue sitcoms 'just got to be funny'
Actor Tim Allen and comedian Bill Maher dismissed the focus on DEI practices during a conversation on "Club Random," and argued that sitcoms have "just got to be funny."
Comedian Bill Maher and actor Tim Allen criticized diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices during Maher's "Club Random" podcast on Monday, arguing such policies shouldn't impede on the creative process when making television shows.
"My wife says, 'Why do you keep saying that?' And I said, 'Somebody told me I was like the Tom Brady of sitcoms.' When they asked me to do a third one, I said, ‘I thought they were kidding,’" Allen told Maher. "I don’t know whether my generation — because all the people that I know that I would make it with are either dead or not the right gender, you know, they’re all light-skinned European older men — and that doesn’t fit the DEI thing that everybody wanted. They wanted, you know, a potpourri of —"
Maher interjected and said they could have "DEI in the cast."
"I didn’t want to get into that. I didn’t want to patronize people. If you’re going to do a sitcom, it’s just got to be funny. You got to have some drama," Allen said.
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Comedians Bill Maher and Tim Allen. (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
Maher agreed, saying that while diversity is a "great virtue," it wasn't the only one.
"Not everything in America has to look like Angelina Jolie's Christmas card, you know, sometimes, and it's always OK in reverse. You know, it's like if there's something where it's just an all-Black cast — and good, I'm all for it. I'm not complaining about it," he continued.
Maher has previously slammed DEI efforts as meaningless virtue signaling by the left that does little to address racial divides or inequity in the United States.
"Real Time" host Bill Maher. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
The comedian cited CBS’ 2020 initiative setting a target to have a minimum of 40% Black, Indigenous and people of color representation in writers’ rooms — a figure the company hoped to increase to 50%, according to Variety.
"I thought, what if the show they’re writing is about a polka band in a ski town?" Maher said.
He argued DEI practices shouldn't intrude on creativity.
"I love people of color, and I’m so glad that things are better than they used to be for people of color, but you know, it shouldn’t intrude on the creative process to the degree it has in this town," Maher said. "It has intruded on the creative process. And by the way, lots of people of color agree with that because they want the creative process to be pure, too."
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Hundreds protest outside a rally held by President Donald Trump at Macomb County Community College in Warren, Michigan, on April 29, 2025. (Getty Images/Dominic Gwinn)
Allen, the current lead actor on the CBS sitcom "Shifting Gears," starred on the popular ABC sitcom "Home Improvement" in the 1990s and later returned to the network for "Last Man Standing." He's also known for his movie roles and voice work as Buzz Lightyear in the "Toy Story" animated film series.
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President Donald Trump ended DEI initiatives within the federal government soon after taking office, and several major companies followed suit.
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