*In light of today being Father’s Day, comedian Bill Maher took the opportunity to highlight what he believes would be a valuable yet somewhat outdated gift for fathers: the revival of “traditional dads,” or “trad-dads” as he affectionately labeled them.
On his “Real Time” show aired Friday night on HBO/Max, Maher delivered a monologue that was both humorous and thought-provoking, emphasizing the importance of fathers who understand their primary role as parents rather than friends to their children.
Maher began with a critical reflection on the current state of parenting, discussing how modern children seem increasingly spoiled.
This led him to a critique of “gentle parenting”—a style he derided as equivalent to “negotiating with terrorists.”
Despite not being a parent himself, Maher argued that the growing mental health crises among teenagers and young adults can be traced back to a lack of discipline from their parents.
“Our kids are crippled with anxiety because they haven’t properly been prepared for a world that doesn’t revolve around them,” he proclaimed. He further contended that the real mental health disorder lies with the adults who forgot that “to a child, discipline is love.”
Maher proposed the solution: bringing back the “trad dad”—not the severe, unemotional father figures of the 1950s, but rather those dads who believe “because I said so” is a perfectly legitimate answer. Such fathers, according to Maher, are not meant to be emotional support animals but leaders who prepare their children to face the real world. “He’s simply a guy who understands the job: to raise an adult who can survive in the wild,” Maher stated.
He further elaborated on the consequences of not giving teenage boys this sort of masculine role model, pointing to the rise of influencer Andrew Tate, describing him as “a man who answers the question, ‘What if Axe body spray could talk?’” Maher blamed Tate’s popularity on the dearth of positive masculine influences in young boys’ daily lives.
“He’s popular with teenage boys because when we don’t give them a masculine male role model they look up to, they go out and find one,” Maher explained. “And being teenage boys, of course it’s going to be the worst possible one.”
Maher concluded his segment with a nostalgic and candid plea, urging viewers to embrace an updated version of fatherhood reflective of the old-timey dads from his youth.
“This Father’s Day, let’s give dear old dad the gift of being dear old dad,” he said with a smile. “And also, shut up. He’s trying to watch the game.”
In his typical style, Maher managed to blend humor with a serious discussion about parenting, sparking a conversation on the evolving roles of fathers in modern society while calling for a return to some traditional values that he believes are missing in today’s world.
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