The Affair

On Tuesday, April 22, 2026, a federal judge dismissed Laura Loomer's $150 million defamation lawsuit against Bill Maher and HBO.

The case began in 2024, when Maher speculated on his show Real Time that Loomer was having an affair with Donald Trump. Loomer is a political activist and Trump supporter. She denied the affair. She then filed a $150 million lawsuit.

The damages, as explained in the complaint, were as follows: the joke caused Loomer real harm. Specifically, the allegation that she was too close to Trump caused Trump's campaign to keep its distance from her.

(To be clear about the sequence of events: She was harmed by an accusation of being close to Trump. The harm was that she became less close to Trump. The accident that caused the injury was being accused of the thing that caused the injury. I am describing this correctly.)

Loomer argued that before the joke, she had access to Trump and his campaign. After the joke, she had less access. She attributed the reduction in access to the joke. She valued the reduction at $150 million.

The court found that Maher's comment "could not reasonably be understood as a statement of fact." This is the legal protection for comedic speculation. The court also noted that Loomer is a public figure. Public figures face a higher burden for defamation claims. The higher burden exists because public figures have access to the media and can respond publicly to statements about them.

Loomer responded publicly to this statement. The response was a $150 million lawsuit.

The joke remains on television. The $150 million remains with Bill Maher. The affair remains unconfirmed.