Fox News’s Sean Hannity called HBO host Bill Maher “a mean-spirited jackass” Monday night after Maher said he’s “glad” billionaire conservative donor David Koch is dead.
“I have a little message for Bill,” Hannity said during his Fox News show. “You’re a jackass. You’re a mean-spirited jackass.”
{mosads}He continued: “I have other words I really want to use, but unlike you, I work at a network that has some standards, and if I said it, I have to spend all day tomorrow and the next day dealing with that crap.”
“The guy you’re talking about and his wife donated $1.3 billion to charity,” Hannity said. “Until you do that, just keep your big mouth shut.”
Hannity’s comments come days after Maher said during his show, “Real Time,” on Friday that he hoped “the end was painful” for Koch, who died last week at age 79.
“Yesterday, David Koch, of the zillionaire Koch brothers, died of prostate cancer. I guess I’m going to have to reevaluate my low opinion of prostate cancer,” Maher said, which drew laughter from the crowd. “He was 79, but his family says they wish he could live longer, but at least he lived long enough to see the Amazon catch fire.”
Maher quipped: ”Condolences poured in from all the politicians he owned, and mourners have been asked in lieu of flowers to just leave their car engines running. As for his remains, he’s been asked to be cremated and have his ashes blown into a child’s lungs.”
Koch and his brother Charles are best known for their polarizing influence over American politics and their massive political contributions to Republican candidates and libertarian-leaning causes.
The Koch brothers poured millions into organizations and causes to stop mobilization around climate change and environmental research and legislation as well as public transit initiatives.