Earlier this month, Gillian Tett, the provost of King’s College, Cambridge, was a little irked that Bill Maher mentioned the United Arab Emirates removing the UK from its list of countries eligible for state-sponsored scholarships, citing concerns about radicalism. Tett believed this was false news. She then went on a tangent, claiming it was nonsense and that London wasn’t turning into a no-go zone.
Maher and NYT’s Bret Stephens pointed out that two Jewish individuals had been stabbed, targeted because of their background. Maher was debating how the UK had become so leftist, to the point where they’ve banned cigarettes.
What’s happening in the UK has Bill Maher realizing just how “f*cked up” the country has become.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 2, 2026
“Every time I think this country’s too woke, I look at what’s going on in your country, and I’m like, ‘Wow, these people are really f*cked up.’”
“How did England get so leftist?”… pic.twitter.com/Xikwh0p1aC
On Club Random, Maher’s podcast, guest and former Mumford and Sons member Winston Marshall, who caused a stir when he praised the book about Antifa by Andy Ngo, was not happy with Tett, noting that everything that Maher said about the UAE and scholarships was true, and that the UK has a serious issue with antisemitism.
Winston Marshall tells Bill Maher he’s “super angry” about what Gillian Tett said on his show.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2026
Maher asks: “What’d she say?”
Marshall reminds him that she accused him of spreading “fake news” about the UAE, “which is bullsh*t.”
“It’s funny,” Maher responded.
“I brought that… pic.twitter.com/6rqzpM6RJX
“If people are wondering why we’re dwelling on this, it’s because an Arab country thinks that England is more likely to radicalize their kids than their own Arab country,” Maher said.
“You know what? It’s okay if somebody disagrees with me, but if you say I’m full of shit on the air, you better be right,” he added.
