Comedian and talk show host Bill Maher used his HBO program “Real Time” on Friday to criticize fraternity culture at Cornell University, referencing the ongoing case involving seven men accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024.
Maher, a Cornell graduate, argued that fraternities amplify negative behavior among young men. “Everything that’s inherently bad about men gets worse if you put them in a fraternity. The drinking gets worse, the cruelty, the treatment of women, the tribalism, the peer pressure, one-upmanship, conformity, segregation, nepotism, bullying, elitism, and just general a**holery — boat shoes, for example,” he said.
He also pushed back on the idea that fraternities help turn young men into gentlemen, describing the Cornell case as an example of what can go wrong when alcohol and drugs are involved. “A young woman made a bad decision, as 20-year-olds do, when she went to a frat house drunk and did Ketamine. And for that, she claims to have paid a price no woman should have to pay,” Maher said. He added, “No one was there [or] knows what happened, but I do know what a gentleman is — a gentleman-gentleman is someone who in that situation doesn’t exploit the woman, he saves her.”
Maher cited a figure of 128 hazing-related deaths nationwide since 2000 as part of his argument for eliminating fraternities altogether. He suggested sororities should face similar scrutiny, describing them in blunt terms as well.
The Chi Phi case at Cornell has drawn wider attention in recent days. According to reporting cited by RedState, newly disclosed text messages have added complexity to the case after some officials had previously characterized the disputed allegations as settled fact. The underlying facts of what occurred at the fraternity house remain under investigation.
Maher’s comments add a high-profile voice to a broader debate over how closely colleges should supervise fraternity and sorority houses, including oversight of alcohol, drug use and hazing practices on campuses such as Cornell’s in Ithaca.
