Washington (CNN) - Comedian Bill Maher is putting his money where his mouth is.
The comedian and talk show host who has long railed on the weakness of the Republican presidential field announced at a stand up comedy show on Thursday that he would donate $1 million to Priorities USA Action, a pro-Obama Super PAC.
“My surprise tonight is I would like to tonight announce a donation to the Obama Super PAC—which has the very unfortunate tongue-twister name ‘Priority (sic) USA Action’,” Maher said. “I know, it was named by Borat. But tonight I would like to give that PAC one million dollars.”
The concert, which was live streamed on Yahoo!, was held in San Jose, California and was billed by Yahoo! as the first stand-up comedy concert to be streamed live online.
In a tweet after the event, Maher said the announcement was a surprise to the Yahoo! organizers.
“Thank u everybody who's hit me up after the show, and a great San Jose audience. Obama donation was a surprise to Yahoo too fyi!”
Maher, whose comedy show is called “CrazyStupidPolitics,” has not been shy about his opinions of the 2012 race and when he spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper, he said that other than Ron Paul, the Republican candidates running for president have “horrible society killing ideas about America.”
“The rest of those people are, of course, selling their souls to the corporate interests who back them,” Maher said. “They all act like god created the world in January of 2009, and then Barack Obama completely screwed it up.”
When asked in the same interview who he thought was going to win the 2012 election, Maher quickly tapped the president as the eventual winner.
“My money is still on Mitt Romney,” said Maher when asked who the eventual Republican nominee. “And I think he’s going to get the nomination, and then I think Obama is going to beat him like a runaway sister wife, yes, I do.”
Maher’s million dollar donation will substantially boost the coffers of the Super PAC which raised only $58,815.83 in January, according to a report filed earlier in the week with the Federal Election Commission.
– CNN’s Matthew Carey contributed to this report.
From CNN Politics
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Bill, I think Obama's bankster and military industrial complex masters will take GOOOOOOOOD care of him. Why not use your million and donate to a charity or hire some people and help the economy? Obama is no more corrupt then Bush was...lol! Oh it’s funny watching the left destroy and fragment their party like the repugs – great comedy
You made my point, CV. BTW, Ron Paul has his superpac and his billionaires too, so please stop with the talk about RP being an incarnation of A. Lincoln.
Obama was against super pacs before he was for them. What a hypocrite.
Shame on you Bill. You lost a fan here..
"I would respect him more, listen to him more if he stayed neutral."
Videos of Bill Maher visciously criticizing Obama are easy to find, actually.
Yeah Bill Maher! Love his show. He is a very smart man, although I don't agree with everything he says. I am also giving to President Obama's campaign and will volunteer my time (I can do more of that than I can give money). It is so important that President Obama is re-elected. The GOP would take us back in time to the 1800s. I don't want that for my children. The GOP is also so full of hate right now. My kids cannot understand why the GOP is so hateful toward gay people, immigrants, women, the poor, unions (which includes the kids' teachers), environmentalists, and most of all our current President. It is abhorrent and a terrible example. When is the last time you heard a Republican say anything that was not insulting or hateful about our President or for that matter any of the groups I just listed.
To those of you talking heads from the righteous(cis) right. Maher has been critical of the President at times on his show but he also understands that the President can't do it all and that rules are made by congress and that then old farts on the supreme court are in favor of corporations and not taxing the rich.
He has people from all sides on his show. Thenone I dislike the most is issa who keeps talking as if he wasn't investigated not too long ago andmsome southern rep whose website has a picture of him 20-30 years ago when he was thin and still had hair. He was still a angry old southern boy then and it's worse Noe!
Billy, we love you...crock a doodle doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. WE LOVE YOU, BILLY....
Thank, you Mr. Maher!!! Effective Mar 1, I'm donating from every paycheck through the end of the General Election.....want add up to a million but every bit helps! Our country is in trouble and Pres. Obama is the only grown-up in ths campaign!!!! God bless him and the USA!!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 it is!!
It's raining money alleluia. Thanks Bill. I used to think you were a jerk, but apparently I was wrong. You join Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in helping advance the country forward. Thanks also the Supreme Court for the monster you created. It seems you love liberals after all.
For: Dominican mama 4 Obama
Scanning responses is a daily ritual of mine and I'm never finished until I've read your response(s). You are always on target!!!
Woman for Obama/Biden 2012
Obama didn't want to fight Republicans with Guns/ Super Pac Money but since Citizens United he had to Choice but to bring a gun/ Super Pac money to a gun fight...If he didn't he would go down...Fact
Maher is going to wish he hadn't done this someday.
Chris, President Obama has not sold out or agreed to Keystone. The darned Rethugs are trying to force him into it.
Get your Fox News lies straight.
At least he can't pretend to be objective anymore, or hate super-PACs, or any of that bull crap.
Oh wait he still can. Well, it's a free country, which is beautiful.
Bill Maher, you are quite an exceptional man. 1 million is really something. Now you have shown the good example, I hope folks like Oprah, Hollywood supporters and many more will follow your example. We can not allow those who abused the power and mess up with the economy take over again. No way.
Tuned in to Bill Maher not too long ago...his money may have been better spent on learning comedy!
If I may loosely borrow the immoral phrase uttered by Dean Wormer, Self-aggrandizing, hateful and unfunny are no way to go through life, Mr. Maher. I hope you donate every penny you have to the clueless fraud whose every policy has been designed to enslave and destroy what once was a world leading country.
@ Denna- No, our spineless President is witholding his move untl the election is over. Guess he doesn't want to ruffle any feathers (or votes). Apparently his singing career is taking off and he needs to focus on that. But as long as he can think and talk a good game, he is the Man! What a joke!....and you libs are laughing!
I wonder if Bill Maher has ever contributed a million dollars to charitable causes? To help the homeless maybe? He seems to have a lot of money to throw at attacks on Republicans. Is this all he does with his money? Attack others?
Who would have expected anything different from this hate filled hypocritical religious bigot? He's the poster child for what the Democrat left is.
So now his show should be considered part of the Democrats 2012 campaign . I wonder if the people that air his shows will provide equal time for conservatives to attack the left and Obama?
Thank you Mr. Maher! I love you! I love your show, and love your integrity! There are few men/women who put their money where their mouth is.
We will never see a conservative comedian donate $1million to any candidate, because there are no conservative comedians, as Republicans take themselves way too seriously.
Maher = far left, arrogant, abrasive, moron
Bill Maher is a clown