Before sexual harassment suspect Neil deGrasse Tyson joined the show for a softball interview, “Real Time” host Bill Maher dedicated much of his monologue Friday night to President Trump’s ill-fated Freedom 250 concert series on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., celebrating America’s 250th anniversary on July 6.
“We’re having a birthday party for America’s 250th anniversary. It’s a concert,” Maher offered. “They announced the lineup: Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, Morris Day, Bret Michaels. I think that’s very admirable about the president. It shows he cares about the unemployed.”
Much like President Trump’s embarrassing 2017 pre-inauguration concert that featured the likes of The Piano Guys and someone called DJ Ravi Drums, his Freedom 250 concert has been plagued by numerous dropouts, with many artists claiming they were misled and unaware of Trump’s involvement before signing. Rocker Bret Michaels, R&B group The Commodores, rappers Young MC, Morris Day and the Time, and original Milli Vanilli singers have all announced their departure from the show. Country star Martina McBride announced on Twitter that she would be stepping down, writing, “I was given the opportunity to perform at a bipartisan event, which turned out to be misleading.”
Cue Maher: “And after we announced this All-Star lineup, a lot of them said, ‘No, what are you talking about? We’re not playing.’ Not being able to sign Milli Vanilli is going to hurt a lot.”
In addition to Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan, who infamously lip-synced exclusively on the group’s albums, rappers Vanilla Ice and Flo Rida will also perform at the Freedom 250 concert series, which runs from June 25th to July 10th.
And Maher wasn’t finished attacking Trump.
“This is amazing, we’ve never been this country before, and we’re issuing $250 bills with Trump’s face on them,” he began. “I think it’s a memento. Republicans in Congress are thrilled about it. I can’t wait to carry it around in my wallet. What a switcheroo to have Trump’s face next to your butt.”
