When Bill Maher Was Arrested and Jailed for DUI in Beverly Hills in 1992

May 5, 2025

Bill Maher was arrested for DUI in 1992 in Beverly Hills and spent a night in jail when he was 36 year old. There's little record of this in the media or Wikipedia and no mug shot. We only know about the incident because Maher has discussed it twice in the last year on his Club Random podcast.

May 4, 2024 with Bill Burr

"I had a DUI in '92. It was a nightmare. It could've wrecked my life because I was just starting with Poltically Incorrect. I had to get a special dispensation from the court to interrupt my 14-day corrective program that you have to go to when you have a DUI.

"It was just a cross-section of society. We weren't criminals. We were just douchebag Millenials coming home from the club and we had one too many and were also driving too fast.

"When I was stopped I happened to be wearing leopard-print shoes. Now, if you think I wasn't going to get a ticket that night. It was 1992. I'd just done a sit-com. It was wardrobe from the sit-com. Don't ask me about clothes. I'm sure you also wore ridiculous things during the day. I'm sure some cool people have worn leopard print in the past. I'm sure I could find some pictures of rock stars.

"You had to go to six AA meetings which I really resented because I was a little over the limit but it doesn't mean I was an alcoholic. I had to go to these meetings and we had to go around the room and everybody would say, 'Hi, I'm Phil. I'm an alcoholic. I'm Bob. I'm an alcohol.' I wouldn't say it. I'm not an alcoholic. They made me come to this class."

Burr also confided he was busted for DUI in 1989.

Oct. 7, 2024 with Cheech & Chong

"I spent a night in the Beverly Hills jail for a DUI in 1992. I'm not proud of it. I was barely over the limit both with the speeding and the drinking.

"But I was wearing at the time leopard shoes, which I feel might have influenced the officer.

"It is sobering, but this was the Beverly Hills jail. I ordered raisin toast – no raisins. The room service was like an hour! The air conditioning made a noise. I said, 'Can I be moved to anoher cell?' You can't get a good jail cell these days. And there was nothing on the Spectravision."

Chong was found guilty of paraphernalia sales in 2003 and spent nine months in a federal prison. Maher has never been arrested on a marijuana charge.

Cue to the 18-minute mark below