On Friday’s episode of Real Time, HBO’s Bill Maher sought to frame the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico as “Attila the Hun” versus “a nice guy.” At the same time, after former GOP Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy pointed out that Talarico has said some whacky things in the past, MS NOW host Katy Tur stepped in to defend Talarico by claiming “he’s taken that back.” As McCarthy and Tur were taking the discussion away from Texas, Maher tried to get them back on track, “Can I get back to Texas because we didn't talk about who he's running against, Paxton. Okay, so you have Attila the Hun on this side. Then we have this guy James Talarico. We had him on the show recently. I mean, he seemed like a nice guy, he seemed very reasonable. They are spreading rumors that he's gay or even worse, vegan.”   Bill Maher describes the Texas Senate race as "Attila the Hun on this side. Then we have this guy James Talarico...he seemed like a nice guy, very reasonable. They are spreading rumors that he's gay or worse, vegan." After, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy informs everyone that… pic.twitter.com/vCEfmOejvq — Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) May 30, 2026   Amid laughter at the idea of veganism being disqualifying, McCarthy sought to add, “In Texas, vegan is worse. He said he ran a vegan campaign.” Maher sought clarification, “What? He said what?” Referencing Talarico’s 2022 campaign, McCarthy recalled, “He's on video running a vegan campaign. That doesn't play well in Texas.” Maher was forced to concede, “No. He said some things that do not play well in Texas, like "God is nonbinary," which, if there is a God—” Tur then jumped in to defend Talarico on that point, “He's taken that back. He said it was a silly thing for him to say.” Talarico’s campaign conversion is difficult to take seriously. For one thing, on the “God is nonbinary” bit, Talarico said he was being "intentionally provocative”—an odd choice for someone who brags about his seminarian background—while horribly misinterpreting the Bible passage he used to justify the original claim. Maher also didn’t talk about Talarico’s six sexes claim, which is probably because Maher has previously agreed with the anti-scientific argument that chromosomal abnormalities are unique sexes. In the interview Tur cited where Talarico supposedly walked back his wild statements, he said he said there were six sexes because he wanted people with chromosomal abnormalities to be “treated with dignity and respect.” Considering literally nobody said they should be treated with disrespect, Talarico’s straw man was just a cover for his vote to allow males who think they are women to compete in girls and women’s sports. Nevertheless, Maher moved on to the X feud between Stephen Miller and the Democratic Party. While lamenting the all-around lack of civility, Maher managed to get one good joke in at Democrats’ expense, “Okay, but listen to this, so Stephen Miller of the Trump administration, right there with Attila. He said the Democrats made history by nominating the first transgender Senate candidate. That he says pulling out of his ass. Even if they did, it should not be disqualifying. Jewish for the Democrats, yes, but not transgender. Then the Democratic Twitter account fired back, ‘Shut up, you ugly fuck.’” Turning next to Miller’s wife, Katie, Maher added, “Then Stephen Miller's wife fired back at the woman who ran the Twitter account and said she's 30, unmarried, no kids. First of all, I love it that that's the worst insult you can think of. Everybody I know who's unmarried with no kids. You know, that’s good.” While Maher basks in his singleness, it is possible that Senate control could be decided in Texas. Therefore, the media—both Tur’s traditional media and Maher’s comedy media—should focus on what Talarico believes and not just Paxton’s controversies. Here is a transcript for the May 29 show: HBO Real Time with Bill Maher 5/29/2026 10:28 PM ET BILL MAHER: Can I get back to Texas because we didn't talk about who he's running against, Paxton. Okay, so you have Attila the Hun on this side. Then we have this guy James Talarico. We had him on the show recently. I mean, he seemed like a nice guy, he seemed very reasonable. They are spreading rumors that he's gay or even worse, vegan. KEVIN MCCARTHY: In Texas, vegan is worse. MAHER: No, I’m telling you— MCCARTHY: He said he ran a vegan campaign. MAHER: What? He said what? MCCARTHY: He's on video running a vegan campaign. That doesn't play well in Texas. MAHER: No. He said some things that do not play well in Texas, like "God is nonbinary," which, if there is a God— KATY TUR: He's taken that back. He said it was a silly thing for him to say. MAHER: It is a silly thing for him to say because it looks bad on a poster or an ad.  Okay, but listen to this, so Stephen Miller— MCCARTHY: Yes. MAHER: —of the Trump administration, right there with Attila. He said the Democrats made history by nominating the first transgender Senate candidate. That he says pulling out of his ass. Even if they did, it should not be disqualifying. Jewish for the Democrats, yes, but not transgender. Then the Democratic Twitter account fired back, “Shut up, you ugly fuck.” This is the official Democratic Twitter account. Then Stephen Miller's wife fired back at the woman who ran the Twitter account and said she's 30, unmarried, no kids. First of all, I love it that that's the worst insult you can think of. Everybody I know who's unmarried with no kids. You know, that’s good.