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Bill Maher jokes that Mike Johnson’s celebrity crush is Kirk Cameron during “Real Time” segment

Maher joked that the new speaker is a combination of an election denier and the preacher from "Footloose"

Senior Culture Editor

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., prepares to make a statement in the U.S. Capitol on the mass shooting in Lewiston, Me., on Thursday, October 26, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., prepares to make a statement in the U.S. Capitol on the mass shooting in Lewiston, Me., on Thursday, October 26, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

During a segment of "Real Time with Bill Maher" on Friday night, the host did a comical run-down of some key things to know about new House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who he compares to a combination of an election denier and the preacher from "Footloose." 

Johnson has been giving the show a lot to work with since he officially took over for Kevin McCarthy on October 25, and was ripped in another segment just last week, during which his strict conservative views on gay sex and abortion prompted Maher to call him "super-duper-uper" Christian. This week, he got even more creative with a list titled "24 things you don't know about Mike Johnson." Here are a few tidbits that stood out:

  • I got my start in public service as Jerry Falwell Jr's pool boy
  • I'm what it sounds like when Black comedians do their White Guy voice
  • The Book of Revelation mentions me by name
  • My celebrity crush is Kirk Cameron
  • The nickname I have for my penis is "The Fetusmaker"
  • I find it awkward being around Lindsey Graham because the Bible says I have to kill him

Watch here:

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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