HBO’s “Real Time” host Bill Maher just unveiled a new “award show” during his closing monologue on Friday, describing how he aims to help honor those that resist cancel culture and the woke mob.
Introducing the effort, he said that he and other A-listers in Hollywood were invited to the home of “a very prominent Hollywood producer” and that he was asked to moderate a discussion about cancel culture and how people can stand up to it. Speaking about that and the idea for an awards show that they came up with, he said:
“That was the point of the evening – how do we take a stand against cancel culture? And I suggested since we were mostly all in show business that we start at an award show to honor the brave people who have fought back. The idea was met with great enthusiasm by everyone and in short order, different people were suggesting the ways that they’re very challenged to be put to use. And then of course being Hollywood, nothing happened. But it’s still a good idea, so I’m going to do it right here, right now.”
And so, for the awards show, each recipient of the “Cojones Wards,” was given a golden statue of dangling testicles, which Maher referred to as “solid brass balls.”
The first recipient of the award was Cornell University president Martha Pollack, who rejected Cornell students’ demand for trigger warnings in their courses. Describing what she did, Maher said, “She didn’t cave in or hire a new dean of sensitivity, she just said, ‘No. College is for introducing you to new ideas, not for kissing your ass and making you feel wonderful and always right.‘”
He next awarded a trophy to Trader Joe’s which refused to do away with its food products’ ethnically-themed names like “Trader José’s,” “Trader Ming’s” and “Arabian Joe’s” after a cancel culture petition called for their removal for being “racist.”
The grocery store chain, in response, issued a statement saying, “We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions. Decades ago, our Buying Team started using product names, like Trader Giotto’s, Trader José’s, Trader Ming’s, etc. We thought then—and still do—that this naming of products could be fun and show appreciation for other cultures. Recently we have heard from many customers reaffirming that these name variations are largely viewed in exactly the way they were intended—as an attempt to have fun with our product marketing. We continue our ongoing evaluation, and those products that resonate with our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves.”
Maher, praising them and holding the golden trophy, said, “You see how easy it is? So, to the home of the 19-cent banana, here, have some nuts.”
Next up was Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. Maher praised him for refusing to bow to employee fury over Dave Chappelle’s comedy special. Instead of backing down to the woke mob, he told those Netflix employees in it that if they don’t support the content then “Netflix may not be the best place for you.” Maher, praising him, said, “So for making the phrase ‘don’t let the door hit you in the ass’ never sound better, this is for you Ted.”
The final recipient of this year’s Cohones Award was Ben Stiller, who earlier this year defended his 2008 film “Tropic Thunder” saying, “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it. 🙏✊😊”
Describing what Stiller’s refusal to back down showed, Maher said, “And the lesson is if you stand up to the mob for just a day or two, their shallow, impatient, immature smartphone-driven gerbil minds will forget about it and go on to the next nothingburger and you, you still will have your cojones.”
Watch that here:
How do we all take a stand against cancel culture? Ladies and gentlemen, you know the #Emmys, you know the #Grammys, you know the #Tonys, so now say hello to the #Cojones! pic.twitter.com/t65xV5HUam
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) April 22, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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