TV Real Time taping scrapped as Bill Maher tests positive for COVID-19 The host is fully vaccinated and asymptomatic. By Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 13, 2021 08:21PM EDT This week's taping of Real Time With Bill Maher has been canceled after its eponymous host tested positive for COVID-19. Bill Maher, who is fully vaccinated and currently asymptomatic, tested positive during weekly staff testing, according to an announcement from the HBO talk show. Maher "feels fine," the show said, and no other staff or crew members have tested positive at this time. The production "has taken every precaution following COVID CDC guidelines," the show added, and the episode "will be rescheduled at a later date." The CDC has stressed that while the vaccines currently approved for use against COVID-19 are highly effective, they are not 100 percent foolproof when it comes to preventing infection. But people who have been vaccinated are also less susceptible to severe disease and less likely to transmit the virus should they become infected. The episode that was scheduled to air on May 14 was supposed to feature a one-on-one, in-studio interview with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Related content: Sharon Osbourne to Bill Maher on The Talk exit: 'Disagreeing with someone does not make you racist' James Corden criticizes Bill Maher's fat-shaming comments: 'Bullying only makes the problem worse'