Bill Maher Defends Woody Allen And Bashes Actors Who Won’t Work With Him: “What A Bunch Of P******”

Bill Maher has spoken out in Woody Allen‘s defense, calling the sexual abuse allegations that have been lobbed against the director “very improbable.”

Speaking to Katie Couric during a recent episode of his Club Random podcast, Maher ranted against the allegations Dylan Farrow made against Allen, which were detailed in the HBO documentary series Allen v. Farrow.

“I respect the artist and the man. I don’t think he committed that crime, there were two police investigations that exonerated him. I mean, what do you have to do in this country?” Maher said.

He also criticized actors who refuse to work with Allen, who was once one of the most celebrated directors in the industry: “All these actors who won’t work with him anymore, some of them who made movies with him and regret doing that, what a bunch of pussies.”

Maher continued ranting against the Farrows and the HBO documentary, noting that it did not include Allen’s perspective regarding the allegations.

“First of all, it’s a very improbable crime that they’re accusing him of. Plainly, the other party had motivation and was vindictive,” he said, referring to Dylan and her mother, actress Mia Farrow. “If you saw the documentary about it, it was all from her point of view. So first of all, I just flat-out believe him. I believe a 57-year-old man didn’t suddenly become a child molester in the middle of a divorce proceeding and a custody battle in a house full of adults in broad daylight.”

However, Couric noted that the documentary included “some pretty damning” evidence against Allen. “There were some pretty sketchy and damning things in that documentary that were separate from just Mia Farrow and Ronan Farrow… And certainly some, I think, legitimate questions. He had a relationship with a high school student, do you remember?”

Maher asked if she was referring to Allen’s current wife, Soon-Yi Previn, Mia’s adopted daughter whom he married in 1997. Mia had adopted seven-year-old Soon-Yi approximately two years before she met Allen. Allen later began having an affair with Previn when she was 21 years old.

Couric clarified that Allen’s relationship with the high school student was “way before that,” and mentioned that the director wanted “his girlfriend to dress up in little anklets, and Mary Janes, and baby doll dresses.”

“Do you think he’s the only guy who likes that? Do you think he’s the first guy who wanted his girlfriend to dress in anklets and baby doll [dresses]?” Maher fired back while laughing. “That’s what we grew up on, that’s what we find sexy.” He added that it “doesn’t make you a pervert.”

Couric did not appear as convinced of Allen’s innocence.

Allen has long denied that he sexually abused Dylan, claiming that Mia coached Dylan into making claims against him after she learned of his relationship with Soon-Yi.

The director denied the accusations again in an interview with Variety ahead of the Venice Film Festival premiere of his latest film, Coup de Chance. He noted that, despite the accusations, he doesn’t “know what it means to be canceled,” and said “everything has been the same” for him in his career.

“The situation has been investigated by two people, two major bodies, not people, but two major investigative bodies. And both, after long detailed investigations, concluded there was no merit to these charges,” he said, before later adding, “The fact that it lingers on always makes me think that maybe people like the idea that it lingers on. You know, maybe there’s something appealing to people. But why?”

Allen v. Farrow is streaming on Max.

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.