Bill Maher Makes Weight Jokes About Ariana Grande, ‘Real Time’ Audience Groans

Too soon, too tasteless or just too cruel, take your pick, but Bill Maher‘s two Ariana Grande weight jokes during his opening monologue on Friday’s Real Time With Bill Maher were met with mixed audience reactions.

Maher sidled up to the subject by recapping some of the bad news of the week, then saying, “I hope the aliens are here, I do. I hope they’re here and watching us and they’re going to save us.”

So far, so good.

Then:

“And, by the way, the administration this week, just a few days ago, maybe yesterday, unleashed a new trove of UFO files. Interesting things in there. Triangular craft, weird lights over an army base, a stick-like figure with large eyes – oh, that was just an Ariana Grande video.”

The Real Time audience took that one in stride, giving it a good laugh and applause, but then Maher pushed his luck.

Doing his usual butter-wouldn’t-melt bit, the host continued, “Please, we kid. We kid. Maybe that joke will make her eat something.”

That last jab – misguided from a treatment standpoint if nothing else – was a step too far for the audience, who responded with groans and awwws. “I’m saying, maybe it will help,” Maher continued before quickly segueing to another food topic: “Democrats,” he said, “have found a candidate who hates Thanksgiving.”

Grande recently announced that she was dropping plans to appear in a West End revival of the musical Sunday in the Park with George alongside Jonathan Bailey. Despite widespread concern and commentary over her appearance in the new music video “Petal,” the singer has not specified a reason for her temporary career break beyond noting that “boundaries, they need to be set. Human beings can need a break sometimes.”

Watch the Maher segment below.