Bill Maher recently added to his familiar critique of “weak and woke” culture by mocking “forced diversity” in TV commercials — like an interracial family with a Black mother, white father, and Asian child. This kind of corporate pandering can feel artificial or heavy-handed.

Maher is missing the big picture. The cultural shifts he now ridicules didn’t come out of nowhere. They were set in motion by the very political and cultural forces Maher once championed — especially during the Obama years.

This isn’t the first time Maher has attacked the radical left. In 2024, he warned Vice President Harris that she must prove she was not part of the “far-left insanity.” Following the surprise victory of far-left socialist Zohran Mamdani, many advocates of the far left will no doubt point to Mamdani’s victory to showcase the power the radical left possesses. One must wonder how Maher will react to this.

The rise of “mandatory diversity” in the media is hardly a new phenomenon. “Mandatory diversity” extends far beyond a commercial with a multinational family. As far back as the 1980s and 1990s, shows like Silver Spoons and The Facts of Life featured Black friends of white leads. Let’s not forget how Seinfeld — one of the most successful sitcoms of all time — faced quite a backlash for its all-white cast, long before social media amplified such critiques. Maher did not seem to have a problem with it in those days. Where was Maher when Seinfeld needed him?

Even children’s cartoons like Hey Arnold! and Doug used multiracial characters to symbolize inclusion. Doug’s best friend was green. Representation has become more than just a feel-good goal — it has become a political message.

The point is: this “mandatory diversity” has long been part of American culture.

One could argue that this “mandatory diversity” that Maher is suddenly opposed to is part of what helped drive then-Senator Obama to win the 2008 nomination. Maher had no opposition to it then; in fact, he helped support it.

Maher is right to warn about how some aspects of the far left may push voters toward Trumpism. But what’s often left out is that today’s so-called “woke radical left insanity” is not a separate movement — it’s the next phase of one Maher himself once supported.

One must wonder: how will Zohran Mamdani’s rise to power impact “forced diversity”?