When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in 2020, Americans were bombarded with a message that became impossible to escape: “We’re all in this together.” It appeared in television commercials, celebrity videos, corporate campaigns, and speeches from politicians. The slogan was repeated so often that it became the unofficial motto of the lockdown era.
But years later, even some figures on the political left are beginning to admit what millions of working Americans recognized from the very beginning: not everyone experienced the pandemic the same way.
That reality was front and center during a recent episode of comedian Bill Maher’s podcast, where the longtime liberal commentator revisited one of the most memorable—and controversial—moments of the COVID era. Maher took aim at the celebrity culture that emerged during lockdowns, calling out the disconnect between wealthy public figures and ordinary Americans struggling through unprecedented restrictions.
