Real Time with Bill Maher #706: Charlie Sheen, Tim Alberta, Ben Shapiro

Date: September 13, 2025
Guests: Charlie Sheen, Tim Alberta, Ben Shapiro

Episode Overview

This episode of Real Time with Bill Maher is dominated by the aftermath of a high-profile political assassination, urgent conversations about political violence, free speech, and the state of American discourse. Charlie Sheen appears in the first segment, discussing his new memoir and Netflix documentary, reflecting on excess, addiction, personal revelations, and resilience. The panel—Tim Alberta and Ben Shapiro—debates rising violence, generational shifts in attitudes toward speech, issues of urban crime, and international conflict, with Maher guiding a spirited and occasionally darkly comic discussion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charlie Sheen: Memoir, Documentary, and Redemption (08:20–21:41)

• Memoir and Honesty

  • Sheen discusses writing his memoir without a ghostwriter, emphasizing the authenticity of his voice in both book and documentary.

    "No, I, I made a decision early on that … that's not the way I was going to tell my story … because I've always been kind of curious about how somebody can then go promote something and say that they wrote it when they … told stories over the phone to a stranger." —Charlie Sheen (09:29)

  • Maher lauds Sheen's resilience, referencing infamous wild stories and Sheen's public reckoning with addiction.
  • Sheen opens up about the intent to put his turbulent past to rest by sharing everything candidly, only to find old stories resurfacing.

    "My goal was to finally put all the stories out there … and then kind of … put all this stuff to rest and tell people, moving forward, if you're curious about any of that stuff in the past, you can watch it, you can read it, or you can listen to it … and I thought … it's going to quiet things down … Not the case." —Charlie Sheen (13:04)

• Addiction, Excess, and Public Perception

  • Maher explores the public's vicarious fascination with Sheen's self-destructive era—his "winning" phase—and notes that the star, despite negative consequences, was never truly hated.
  • Sheen and Maher both reflect on the difference between Sheen's experiences and those of others (e.g., Matthew Perry), suggesting Sheen's excesses came with a strange charisma and a certain twisted fun, in contrast to the bleak struggles of others.

• Personal Revelations

  • Sheen discusses his sexuality, stating he's had experiences with men—describing it humorously and openly.

    "I know what it feels like to, you know, the energy and the stress and the fear of hanging on to that, you know, those experiences. I didn't know what it would feel like to just say, here, this is, you know, a small part of my journey." —Charlie Sheen (16:41)

  • Sheen clarifies his HIV diagnosis and how it fits in the chronology of his life, speaking frankly about past misinformation and stigmatization.
  • Maher points out that Sheen's bad actions didn't make him a fundamentally bad person, underlining the support Sheen received from key figures in his life.

• Celebrity Consequences

  • The group discusses how stardom insulated Sheen from consequences until it no longer could:

    "When you're a star, they let you do it. And that's how it got so out of control." —Bill Maher (19:59) "There were no consequences for a while until there were." —Charlie Sheen (20:27)

• Looking Forward

  • Maher and Shapiro encourage Sheen to pursue a "third act," praising his past talent and noting the public is ready for him to return to acting.

    "I think you're well prepared now for a third act. I know you haven't really worked a lot lately, but I think you should." —Bill Maher (20:38)

2. The State of American Political Violence (22:20–35:00)

• Assassination & Free Speech

  • The panel reacts to the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, using it as a touchstone to discuss the relationship of violence and speech in American society.

    "Too many people think the way to do that, to prove you wrong, is to just eliminate you from talking altogether." —Bill Maher (22:20)

  • Shapiro laments the normalization of violence across political divides, especially among Gen Z:

    "We do have a serious problem in this country with people who believe that violence is the proper response to speech. And that does skew young … only 58% of gen Z believes that there is no excuse for violence in response to speech … which is deeply terrifying." —Ben Shapiro (23:20)

  • Tim Alberta and Shapiro agree: the trend lines are moving in the wrong direction, making violence seem increasingly mainstream among the young and disenfranchised.

• Media, Social Bubbles, and the ‘Permission Structure’ for Violence

  • Maher and Shapiro spar over “which side” owns political violence and the dangers of painting with broad brushes or prematurely ascribing motives.

    "It's two days out. We don't know shit." —Bill Maher (28:44)

  • Shapiro emphasizes the “permission structures” that make groups on both the far left and right susceptible to justification of violence if they see themselves as systemically threatened.
  • Alberta and Maher stress the urgent need for civic and institutional leaders to denounce violence, regardless of political motive:

    "You need people who are in a position, whether it's in politics, government, whether it's in media, business, social media ... to actually convey to people … that this is not okay." —Tim Alberta (31:19)

3. Generational Change in Attitudes Toward Free Speech and Violence (32:21–35:00)

• Desensitization and Online Culture
  • Alberta and Shapiro warn that images of violence—like the killing of Charlie Kirk—become viral, numbing young people to the reality of murder and exacerbating a toxic online environment.

    "These videos of Charlie being assassinated have tens of millions of views online. Think about what that does to the body politic." —Tim Alberta (34:03)

  • Shapiro argues that when people celebrate or rationalize violence (referencing the “Free Luigi” meme after the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing), it further accelerates the breakdown of norms:

    "This sort of despicable behavior does raise the temperature." —Ben Shapiro (33:54)

4. Crime, Mental Health, and Political Messaging (35:55–46:19)

• Urban Crime and Political Fallout

  • The panel examines issues of recidivism, viral violence, and mental health crises, focusing on how Democrats’ reluctance to be tough on crime is backfiring.
  • Maher highlights the reluctance of progressive mayors to fully confront violent homelessness and mental illness, warning Democrats this is a political loser.

    "You can say homeless and crazy. We could say those words and you can come out against this fully." —Bill Maher (40:37)

  • Shapiro and Alberta both point out that polls show black communities support tougher policing, yet Democrats continue to defer to what Alberta calls "white liberals in the suburbs," often at odds with practical solutions.

    "The implicit argument that we have to be soft on crime in order to get black votes, like black people want crime." —Ben Shapiro (41:52) "Trump, I think, is talking now about bringing back what we used to call an insane asylum. I'm sure that's a terrible word now." —Bill Maher (42:35)

• Policy Suggestions

  • Alberta suggests Democrats should try getting ahead on issues like mental health and not simply react after Trump forces their hand in the polls.

    "Get out ahead on one of these issues. Pick the insane asylum issue. Get out ahead on it. 90% of New Yorkers I read, they're for that. Getting the crazy people. No kidding." —Bill Maher (45:06)

  • Shapiro notes that Trump’s ability to make Democrats reflexively oppose any position he takes is a political “magic power.”

5. International Affairs: Israel, Qatar and Hypocrisy (46:19–50:06)

• Israeli Strikes in Qatar

  • The panel discusses Israel’s recent strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, questioning narratives about escalation.

    "Israel just had it with people being able to get away with things, only they were not able to get away with and they just said, you know what, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, you can't hide anymore anywhere." —Bill Maher (46:43)

• Historical Parallels and Risks

  • Tim Alberta raises the specter of unintended consequences, referencing President George W. Bush’s “no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them” doctrine and subsequent global backlash.

    "There is something about unintended consequences geopolitically ... maybe too cavalier." —Tim Alberta (48:35)

  • Shapiro speculates the war in Gaza might see closure within weeks, with most of the population moving to humanitarian enclaves.

6. New Rules: Free Speech, Flag Burning & International Contrasts (52:00–59:51)

• Free Speech and Hypocrisy

  • Maher lambasts attempts from both the right (Trump’s crackdown on protest and media) and left (calls to fire academics, social censorship) to undermine free speech, stressing its centrality to American identity.

    "But that's the great irony. Flag burning is free speech … and free speech is one of the key things that makes America great." —Bill Maher (52:00)

• International Contrasts

  • Maher draws a striking parallel: while comedians are arrested for speech in the UK and Germany, Saudi Arabia is hosting a comedy festival with Dave Chappelle.

    "If you told me years ago that Saudi Arabia would be cool to have Dave Chappelle speak and England might arrest him, I would have said, what are you smoking?" —Bill Maher (59:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Charlie Sheen on Survival:

  "There were those moments of, like, how am I able? Like, why is it me writing this? This should be somebody else writing about the memory of this guy. Because it was to a level of stuff that shouldn't be survived." —Charlie Sheen (12:10)

• On Diminishing Returns of Addiction:

  "When you did bad things … you weren't mad at the person … You were mad that the drug wasn't working as well as it used to be. Drug addict kids, two words: Diminishing returns." —Bill Maher (18:46)

• On Celebrity Consequences:

  "There were no consequences for a while until there were. You know what I mean?" —Charlie Sheen (20:27)

• On Political Violence:

  "We do have a serious problem in this country with people who believe that violence is the proper response to speech. And that does skew young...." —Ben Shapiro (23:20)

• On Social Media’s Role:

  "Social media is a cancer, which I think is true, because when you read some of the comments from people, they really are such in a bubble that they don't understand that it is happening on both sides." —Bill Maher (26:33)

• On Free Speech Abroad:

  "And we can fight Trump on this because we have a First Amendment. England does not. And the fact that they don't, that's Not a feature. That's a bug. And it's a bug that's going around Europe now." —Bill Maher (54:20) "Any Brit will tell you the food is awful, the weather sucks, but at least you can call each other a cunt. And now that's gone." —Bill Maher (58:34)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Charlie Sheen Interview: 08:20–21:41
• Panel: Political Violence, Free Speech: 22:20–35:00
• Crime, Mental Health, Urban Policy: 35:55–46:19
• Israel & International Policy: 46:19–50:06
• New Rules / Free Speech Rant: 52:00–59:51

Conclusion

This episode blends Maher's signature dark wit and irreverence with urgent discussion on the meaning and fragility of free speech, the dangers of political violence, and shifting generational attitudes toward civil discourse. Charlie Sheen’s candid, humorous reflection bookends a panel grappling with America’s fraught present, offering trenchant critiques and moments of genuine concern about the nation's trajectory. Throughout, Maher and guests balance bleak assessment with flashes of comedy and hope for a saner, more open discourse.