Bill Maher and Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Bill Maher appeared on The View and was his usual contemptible self.

I got the feeling that most of the women on the panel embraced Maher. Elisabeth Hasselbeck, however, wasn't as adoring as the others.

Hasselbeck confronted Maher about the despicable remark he made referencing her and CBS News reporter Lara Logan, who was arrested in Egypt, beaten, and brutally sexually assaulted.

Video.



Transcript

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: Can I bring something up? Because I hear, I see, I hear different things come out of you sometimes, because that sounded very supportive of women. And I just want to go back to a time that actually bothered me just for, not my own personal reasons, but just for women. So, forgive this idiotic Republican for bringing this to your brilliant mind. But, in February of last year, Lara Logan, as you recall, was in Egypt, and she was brutally attacked by a mob there. She came back and said, 'their hands raping me over and over again, tearing my body in every direction, trying to tear off chunks of my skull. I was in no doubt in the process of dying.'

Now, prior to her coming back, Bill, you, on your show said, 'Now that Mubarak has released Lara Logan, he must put her intrepid hotness on a plane immediately. In exchange, we will send Elisabeth Hasselbeck.'

Now that's fine if you want to laugh, but I make it my job and profession, I sit with incredible comedians and the best in the business in terms of broadcasting, you can't sit here right now and tell me I'm wrong for saying that wasn't that funny.

BILL MAHER: Well, you know, we do a comedy show for an audience that's perhaps -- thank you, very much -- that's perhaps different than your audience.

HASSELBECK: Sure.

MAHER: And you know, I mean, you are a public figure. It was not aimed at you personally, but when you are a public figure, um, you're out there and you're fodder for comedians to make comments on.

HASSELBECK: Do you draw the line ever? I mean, so there's nothing in you that said, you know, that was a little, a little off.

MAHER: I do draw the line, but I also live on the line. You know, I do a different kind of show. I'm on HBO. That's my stock and trade. I do something different.

Oh, I get it. If you do a show on HBO, you're required to say horrible, hateful things.

Bill is a comedian. Comedy made Bill do it.

Yeah, right.

The others on the panel almost seemed more supportive of Maher than Hasselbeck.

There's something very troubling about that. You'd think the women of The View would stand up for Hasselbeck and condemn Maher's mocking of the abuse of women. They didn't.

I'm glad Maher was forced to address his ugliness, face to face with one of his victims.

His tastelessness and intense cruelty isn't funny.

Maher also didn't have the decency to apologize to Hasselbeck, not even a non-apology apology.

The segment was really very revealing. We got the chance to glimpse the inner Maher. Not pretty.