US Politics
Laura Loomer loses defamation case against Bill Maher over his joke that she had sex with Donald Trump
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A federal judge has tossed out Laura Loomer’s defamation lawsuit against comedian Bill Maher over his late-night joke that the far-right activist and failed congressional candidate was having sex with Donald Trump.
Loomer’s $150 million complaint against the HBO star claimed she was subjected to “unjustified ridicule, embarrassment, loss of reputation and professional opportunity” and was “damaged financially” by a “false, malicious and defamatory” joke.
She also claimed that Maher denied her request for a public apology and an invitation on his show to “mitigate prior and any further damage.” Loomer also testified that the joke cost her a job at the White House.
But Maher was clearly making a joke, and “no reasonable person” would think he was actually alleging that Loomer was having a sexual relationship with the president, according to Florida District Judge James S. Moody.
“The delivery of the episode, by a well-known comedian, in the context of a late-night comedy television series centered around jokes, signaled to viewers that this was not a factual statement about Loomer or concerning Loomer,” he wrote Wednesday.
Loomer blasted the ruling as “totally dishonest and misogynistic” and “truly an attack on women and the truth” and vowed to appeal up to the Supreme Court.
The Independent has requested comment from Maher’s legal team.
The judge noted that Loomer admitted to “a reputation as one of the most controversial figures in American politics” long before Maher’s September 2024 episode of HBO’s Real Time, including declaring herself a “proud Islamophobe” and a believer in “biological hierarchy” between men and women.
Her behavior has “led her to be banned from numerous social media platforms” as well as ride-hailing apps Lyft and Uber, and “prominent conservative figures disavowed Plaintiff because of her behavior,” Judge Moody wrote.
Trump and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly withdrew an offer for Loomer to join his campaign in April 2023 after aides feared that her “long history of bigoted remarks would set off a backlash,” the judge noted.
In the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election, Loomer shared footage on social media telling Trump “I love you” with the caption “I love him so much” and declared in another post “I really love him with all of my heart.” She also posted a picture of her next to the president with a heart-eyes emoji.
Her frequent presence alongside Trump “led to extensive chattering about the nature of their relationship,” Moody wrote; Maher wasn’t alone at the time in “speculating and making jokes about her being in a sexual relationship” with him, the judge said.
On the episode, Maher joked that Loomer’s closeness with Trump might explain her ascendance in Republican politics.
“She’s 31, looks like his type,” Maher said. “We did an editorial here a few years ago… it was basically, who’s Trump f***ing? Because, I said, you know, it’s not nobody. He’s been a dog for too long, and it’s not Melania. I think we may have our answer this week. I think it might be Laura Loomer.”
The comedian later was forced to explain under oath how late-night jokes are constructed.
“I made a joke. I made a joke based on their sudden closeness in the news that week,” he said in his deposition.
“I could have shown a video of them together and all the places they were together and all the things that were going on, the ‘I love you’ the ‘I love you,’ the blowing of the kisses, ‘you’re very special,’ all this stuff, and then just said, ‘Hey, get a room,’” he said. “This is just comedy. This is — these are jokes.”
“The record reflects that comedians on late-night shows ‘make jokes’ about the headlines of the week and ‘don’t do investigations’ or break news,” Judge Moody wrote.
“Notably, the panel discussion … was punctuated with laughter and applause throughout,” he added. “While Plaintiff focuses on the fact that some audience members ‘groan[ed]’ rather than laughed at the remarks about Plaintiff and Trump, that too is evidence that they understood it to be a joke, just one that warranted a groan — a frequent audience reaction to stand-up comedy and late-night comedy jokes.”
Loomer’s loss is the latest in a string of courtroom failures among Trump allies suing media figures.
Earlier on Wednesday, a federal judge in Texas tossed a defamation suit brought by FBI Director Kash Patel against former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi, who is now a contributor to MSNBC.
Patel is also suing The Atlantic for defamation after the magazine published bombshell allegations that the bureau chief is drinking to excess and posing a national security risk.
Trump, meanwhile, lost a defamation case against The Wall Street Journal over its publication of an alleged birthday letter from the president to wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
