Sen. Al Franken Cancels Bill Maher Appearance After Racial Slur Controversy

A spokesperson for Senator Al Franken (D-MN) told the Huffington Post on Monday that the congressman has cancelled his planned appearance on an upcoming episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, after the comedian dropped a racial slur during a joke on the show last week. Maher later apologized for using the term after facing backlash online. Still, Sen. Franken, who is promoting his new book, has chosen to forgo his scheduled appearance. “Senator Franken believes that what Bill Maher said was inappropriate and offensive, which is why he made the decision not to appear on the next episode of ‘Real Time,’” the spokesperson said. “He was glad to see Bill, who the Senator considers to be a good friend, apologize and express sincere regret for his comment.”