UPDATE:Bill Maher issued an apology on Saturday for using the N-word during an interview onReal TimeFriday night.
The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.
Bill Mahers comment last night was completely inexcusable and tasteless.
Credit: Janet Van Ham/HBO
Maher uttered the slur while joking with Ben Sasse, a Republican senator from Nebraska, on Friday night.
Maher responded, Work in the fields?
Senator, Im a house n-r. And, I mean, who really wants that s?
Comedian Michael Ian Black also slammed Maher.
Others on both sides of the political spectrum also called for Mahers firing.
Am walking off a redeye from LAX.
3 reflections on @billmaher, he wrote in a series of tweets.
Im a 1st Amendment absolutist.
Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines.
But free speech comes with a responsibility to speak up when folks use that word.
Me just cringing last night wasnt good enough.
Its therefore an attack on the American Creed.
Dont use it.'
This post has been updated throughout.
