In the season 22 finale of Real time with Bill Maherthe presenter took aim at Donald Trumps much-mocked cabinet picks, even pausing at one point to laugh heartily as he suggested the jokes write themselves.

“Do I really have to write jokes for this?” Bill Maher said amid a laugh.

At the start of his final episode of the year, Maher began with an off-color joke referencing Trump’s Access Hollywood tape: “The Republicans, man, when they take power, they grab it by the pussy. They f— around. They’re not even responsible yet, they just won the election. They already elected the first trans person in the house, so now the Republicans have banned her from going to the bathroom. Thank God, the adults are back in the management, he said sarcastically.

He said, “Immediately, Lindsey Graham volunteered to check for dicks.” Maher continued the piece, referring to the Grahams redundant compliments — in which he called Trump’s naming of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for AG after Matt Gaetzs withdrawal a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick” — “because nothing says ‘I’m straight’ like overcompensating with a sports metaphor.”

Of Gaetz’s withdrawal, he joked: “The Republicans said, ‘Well, too despicable, even for us,’ which I respect.”

“Then there is Fox & Friends‘ Pete Hegseth, who is nominated for Secretary of Defense. He was accused – again, just accused – of having, she says, non-consensual, he says, consensual sexual relations. So again, we don’t know. You weren’t there. I wasn’t there. We don’t know, but it begs the question, has anyone ever had sex with someone from Fox News and liked it?” he said.

He concluded his opening monologue before the show, saying, “I’m not saying this crew won’t be good at their jobs, but they’re going to be the first cabinet to be asked to stay (outside) 500 feet from a school. You know that that useless sexual harassment seminar we all have to do at work? We finally found an office that needs it.”

As previously reported latest deadline in March, HBO renewed the show until the end of 2026. During the show, Maher said he would return as host in the new year on January 17, with his comedy special Is anyone else seeing this? airs a week earlier on HBO.