Piker calls Maher an ‘Islamophobe,’ laments ‘double standard’ in politics

Controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker rejects Democrats who refuse to appear on his show, while appearing on other programs.

While campaigning with Michigan Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for U.S. Senate, Piker was asked by a Politico reporter about Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., refusing to appear on her Twitch stream, while being willing to sit down for interviews with the likes of Bill Maher.

“I mean, this double standard exists in American politics. Islamophobia is often not addressed at all. Bill Maher is not only an Islamophobe, but he has also been anti-black at every turn, but at the end of the day, he is representative of the same political forces in this country that are aligned with the goals of the establishment, and therefore there is never any question of being on his show,” Piker told the reporter.

Piker did not explain why he thought Maher was an “Islamophobe,” nor did he elaborate on what he meant when he said the longtime comedian and political host “demonstrated anti-blackness.”

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC DEFENDS APPEARANCE WITH HASAN PIKER, WALKS AWAY FROM PODCASTER’S CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS

Comedian Bill Maher faces the camera during a March 27 episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher.” (Live with Bill Maher/YouTube)

Piker has recently become a hot spot for Democrats, as some fear the streamer’s controversial platform gives political clout to Republicans, while others say it helps candidates reach broader audiences.

The controversial streamer was criticized for comments that some called anti-Semitic and anti-American. He was recently criticized for saying that “it doesn’t matter if f—— rapes happened on October 7. That doesn’t change the dynamic for me.” Previously, in a more infamous moment, Piker was criticized for saying during a 2019 stream that “America deserved 9/11.” He later admitted the comments were “inappropriate.”

Slotkin recently came under fire for her appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) demanding she apologize. The organization called on Slotkin to denounce Maher’s “long history of anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Arab racism.”

Hasan Piker, streamer and creator, attends the press conference on the third day of Web Summit Qatar 2026 at the Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar on February 3, 2026. (Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC CONDEMNS PARTY MEMBERS RALLY WITH FAR-LEFT STREAMER HASAN PIKER

Before El-Sayed’s event with Piker, Slotkin told Jewish Insider that while she was unfamiliar with the language of Twitch streamers, she was concerned about what she knew about his rhetoric.

“Any assimilation of all Jews or American Jews to Israel and the Israeli government is a problem from the start, and then it seems, from there, like a cascade of anti-Semitic tropes and just the kind of rhetoric that is — I want to read for myself, but it seems deeply anti-Semitic, in a consistent way, and so it’s not someone that should help anyone in the Michigan political environment,” Slotkin said.

In light of the criticism, CAIR and CAIR-Michigan said in a joint statement that it was “deeply hypocritical” to appear on Maher’s show.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., votes during a session at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

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“It was deeply hypocritical of Senator Slotkin to embrace Bill Maher just days after he denounced a Muslim politician for his association with a podcaster accused of bigotry,” the joint statement said. “The double standards faced by American Muslims, even from a senator who represents one of the largest Muslim populations in our country, are truly remarkable. If consistency means anything to Senator Slotkin – and if she believes hatred against one of her constituents is unacceptable – she must call out Bill Maher’s intolerance and apologize for embracing him.

Although Piker did not detail his objections to Maher, CAIR presented a series of quotes that he found problematic. In one case, Maher said “the results are not good” for women who dated Arab men. In another quote, Maher said he was “alarmed” that Mohammed had become the most popular first name in the UK.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Maher’s representatives for comment.