Everybody knows Bill Maher. We know his face, we know his style, and we know his stance on most social subjects, because he’s been able to share those opinions through two groundbreaking TV shows over the course of his career. But before Maher became one of the most prominent commentators across the country, he was a stand-up comedian, and he still is. He’s back at his new home in Las Vegas at MGM Grand on Nov. 3-4, and he’s ready to entertain.

You performed at the Mirage Theatre for years and recently made the move to the David Copperfield Theater at MGM Grand. How’s that venue change treating you so far?

I love it. I’ve just loved playing Vegas over the last decade, especially as someone who first played there as a 26-year-old comedian opening for Diana Ross at Caesars Palace back when Vegas was way less fun than it is now. And the crowd was not as hip. When you draw a hip crowd in Vegas, it’s hipper than anywhere else, and I get a lot of locals. It’s always a favorite place to play.

Have you stumbled upon any backstage secrets or rummaged through Copperfield’s stuff?

(Laughs.) No, nothing like that. But another thing that’s so different is when I first played Vegas, you couldn’t swear. I was the opening act—I had to do 20 minutes, and when they said 20, they meant 20. You don’t do 21, because you’re keeping people out of the casino, so you might get a lecture from a guy who’s a little scary. Now if you want to do 90 minutes, you do 90 minutes. If these people are laughing, keep it going, give ’em a show. And it’s completely free-form.

You’ve been doing TV for a long time now, but you’ve been doing stand-up even longer. How have Politically Incorrect and Real Time influenced or changed the way you approach writing and performing comedy in the stand-up world?

I think it’s the other way around. I think stand-up informs the show. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the country than a lot of people who are just commentators on TV, sitting in a studio in New York or D.C. They don’t see the country. They live in bubbles. Everyone is in a bubble these days … where someone is keeping information out because they don’t think the audience wants to hear it. I don’t play that game, never have, and I’ve lost some fans because of that but that’s fine. We’re going to have fun and make fun of both sides, because both sides deserve it.

Is there one particular issue or idea that people expect you to address onstage, but you’re just kind of over it and ready to move on?

Religion. There’s a little religious commentary in my show, but that’s definitely something I’ve covered. I made a docu-comedy about it. For a long time, I was the only one—and probably still—the only out atheist on TV. It’s a subject that lends itself to comedy, but if there’s one subject I probably address less than I used to, it’s that.

Are Las Vegas comedy audiences similar to other cities’, or is it a unique place to perform?

It’s not unique, but it is a very hip crowd, especially if you get a lot of locals that live in Las Vegas. Other cities can be … more sensitive. But I want everybody, because we have to learn to sit together with people we don’t agree with. The best part of my act these days is that the crowd is so politically mixed. Conservatives can laugh at Trump jokes and liberals can laugh when we make fun of “woke” nonsense. That’s a model of what our country has to be, because it’s way too partisan. I don’t have a team and I don’t want a team.

MGM Grand, 8 p.m. Nov. 3-4, starting at $89.99 plus tax and fee. mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com

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