Bill Maher Warns 40% of Young Adults Justify Political Violence
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 12
Bill Maher Warns 40% of Young Adults Justify Political Violence
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 12
Friday’s “New Rules” monologue cast the online admiration of accused attackers as a growing far-left “fandom,” with Maher saying assassin “hero-worship” has become normalized among younger Americans.
A Harvard Youth Poll from late 2025 was central to his case: nearly 40% of young adults said political violence can be justified, a shift Maher contrasted with the left’s earlier emphasis on gun control.
Maher tied that trend to recent cases including accused killer Luigi Mangione, April White House Correspondents’ dinner suspect Cole Thomas Allen, and the 2025 assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
He argued many would-be attackers are driven less by ideology than by personal failure and resentment, calling them attention-seeking “wannabe” martyrs rather than political heroes.
Is the 'assassin culture' a new threat, or history repeating itself with digital tools?
Beyond content moderation, how can we immunize alienated youth against online radicalization?