Bill Maher shocked his audience by arguing that all fraternities should be abolished following allegations involving seven Cornell fraternity members.

The Real Time with Bill Maher host, who graduated from the Ivy League university in 1978, criticized his alma mater during Friday evening’s broadcast.

At the end of the episode, Maher addressed allegations involving seven Chi Phi members accused in a lawsuit of drugging and sexually assaulting a female student identified as Jane Doe.

Umar Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar have not been charged with crimes and deny the allegations.

“Any place that’s all male, no girls allowed, just doesn’t function without depravity. Just ask the Catholic Church. Ask the Taliban,” Maher said, prompting a mix of gasps and applause from the audience.

“Human nature is bad, and the best we can do is create institutions that don’t make it so easy to be worse. And a great place to start would be getting rid of ‘Greek life,’” he added sarcastically.

Maher went on to outline what he sees as the damaging characteristics commonly associated with fraternities.

“Everything that’s inherently bad about men gets worse if you put them in a fraternity. The drinking gets worse, the cruelty, the treatment of women, the tribalism, the peer pressure, one-upmanship, conformity, segregation, nepotism, bullying, elitism, and just general a**holery – boat shoes, for example – and hypocrisy,” the comedian said.

The political commentator focused in particular on the case that has drawn national attention and sparked intense criticism of Cornell.

“Fraternity mission statements love to use the word ‘gentlemen’; well, in this current Jane Doe case, a young woman made a bad decision – as 20-year-olds do – when she went to a frat house drunk and did ketamine, and for that, she claims to have paid a price no woman should have to pay.”

“Now, no one there knows what happened, but I do know what a gentleman is: a gentleman, gentlemen, is someone who, in that situation, doesn’t exploit the woman; he saves her. That’s a gentleman,” Maher said, drawing loud cheers and applause.

Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, Maher’s guest on the program, also applauded the remarks.

Maher spoke roughly a month after Jane Doe filed a lawsuit naming Cornell, the fraternity and seven Chi Phi members, along with other defendants.

According to the September filing, Ingalls, Newell, Lee, Lopes, Sarabia, Norris and Kretzschmar allegedly raped the former student at a fraternity party on October 19, 2024.

The alleged victim claims the Chi Phi members engaged in sexual acts with her while she was incapacitated and unable to give consent.

CHECK THIS OUT: Pope Leo Reveals Lung Tumor, Says Surgery Is Planned Within Days

The lawsuit also alleges that the men manipulated her into consuming ketamine and alcohol that night.

Jane Doe, who was 20 and a sophomore at the time, first reported the allegations in 2024. However, an investigation by Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten resulted in no charges being filed.

But after her recent lawsuit, the office has reopened the case, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul has tapped Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor. 

Since news of the alleged incident came out, a slew of evidence has come to light, including text messages between Jane Doe and the frat brothers. 

On Thursday, TMZ shared messages that allegedly show Jane Doe downplayed the alleged assault in conversations with Ingalls and Newell. 

According to Jane Doe, Ingalls had invited her to the house that night before asking her if she wanted to have a threesome with Newell. 

She agreed and was taken to a room where she was allegedly offered alcohol and ketamine, the lawsuit stated. 

Newell then sent a message to about 50 fraternity members on Snapchat that read ‘free p****’, referring to the woman. 

Other frat brothers then came into the room and allegedly sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated, according to Jane Doe. 

In the newly released texts, Jane Doe told Newell that ‘none of the sexual stuff was illegal,’ and described the incident as a ‘gangbang’ that was ‘our body our choice’ in text messages. 

But her attorney, Thomas Giuffra, told the Daily Mail that his client maintains her allegations and said that the messages did not suggest that the alleged encounter was consensual. 

Giuffra argued that Jane Doe was showing ‘classic symptoms of delayed recognition’ about the gravity of the incident, meaning it took some time for her to realize that she had been the victim of an alleged crime. 

‘This is a well-known phenomenon which is widely reported in medical and psychological literature,’ the attorney said. 

‘Most rape survivors do not immediately identify what happened to them as rape.’ 

I had barely arrived in Australia when I first heard the name Zoë Foster Blake.

I had recently moved to Sydney after leaving my features editor role in London to take up the same position in Australia. Not long after arriving, I found myself at a bustling Cosmopolitan magazine party.

The finer details have long since disappeared — I struggle to remember yesterday, let alone more than two decades ago. It was probably a launch party for an eyeliner. What I do recall is the raffle, and the moment the winner was announced among a crowd of tipsy magazine staffers: Zoë Foster Blake, then Cosmo’s beauty editor.

Everyone applauded enthusiastically as the bright-eyed, petite brunette bounded forward to claim her goodie bag.

The woman standing beside me leaned over and whispered that Zoë was someone to watch — young, attractive, driven and seemingly destined for major success.

“She’s one of the luckiest girls in Sydney,” she said enviously as we cheered Zoë on.

She turned out to be right.

Two decades later, Zoë Foster Blake is one of Australia’s most prominent businesswomen. She is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, founder of Go-To skincare and multimillionaire, as well as the wife of comedian Hamish Blake and the mother of two children, aged 12 and nine.

There is no denying that she is intelligent, accomplished and has created an empire most women could only imagine. And, genuinely, good for her. I am not interested in tearing women down, nor do I resent successful women for standing out. When achievements are deserved, I am entirely in favour of celebrating them.

But I also believe in calling things as I see them. Being a woman does not mean anyone should receive an automatic free pass. Women have written unflattering pieces about me over the years, but looking back, were they fair at the time? In many cases, probably.

That is how the media operates. I have always believed that publicity is publicity, and, as I have said before, I took the criticism on the chin and moved on fairly quickly.

Which brings me back to Zoë.

Oh, Zoë.

After hearing her recent appearance on Mamamia’s Unleashed podcast — an interview that left me cringing — I found myself wondering whether the woman who once happily collected a raffle prize at a magazine party has become too removed from the everyday realities of ordinary women.

Before anyone takes offence, this is not an attack on the podcast itself.

The focus is its guest.

Zoë is currently promoting her new novel, Group Chat, which follows a group of perimenopausal friends on a trip to Greece.

Let’s set aside the fact that nothing thrills this multimillionaire more than a spontaneous girls’ trip to Europe, while most of us baulk at the cost of a Jetstar flight to the Sunshine Coast. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: My parents held hands as they passed away by assisted dying – we supported ‘beautiful’ decision, it wasn’t a surprise – NewsFinale

So it’s not her book that has my eyes rolling – although if I hear the words ‘perimenopause’ and ‘female empowerment’ again, I may start screaming, and not because of my hormones.

I just think Zoë has lost sight of just how fortunate she is. She’s on a book tour – a BOOK TOUR – which means endless media interviews for podcasts, TV, radio and magazines, all to promote her latest novel, but describes press interviews as ‘taxing in terms of energy… but also as female, taxing in terms of appearance…’

Woah, Zoë. Hold up. 

I know the drill. I’ve written four books myself and done the publicity tour, the early starts for morning TV, crappy daytime shows (don’t get me started on reporter Sally Bowrey’s disgusting takedown of me on live TV – I’ll write about that in another column), the sitting around for hours waiting for your three minutes on camera. And yes, there’s the hair and make-up… done by a professional at the studio.

But here’s the thing. It’s a privilege.

Someone has published your book! Someone thinks it’s worth talking about! And with any luck, people might actually buy it.

Never once did I complain. Not once. I was always very, very grateful.

So imagine my disdain when Zoë began lamenting how much preparation she needs for publicity appearances, while her husband Hamish can simply throw on some trousers, pop a hat over his messy hair and walk out the door.  

‘I just lost my s**t, it’s just so unfair,’ she whinged, insisting her job was so much harder. She complained she had to sift through the ‘shrapnel of clothes’ to choose from, make sure her nails were done, and her hair sorted – because all podcasts are filmed these days.

Quelle horreur! Imagine complaining about how HARD it is to be on a book tour, and how easy Hamish has it… because apparently she spends ‘hours’ getting ready, picking from her beauty products and designer labels, and agonising over that age-old question: has she done her nails?

Someone please fetch the smelling salts!

I’ll say it again: writing a book is a privilege. You’re not stacking shelves at Aldi or waxing ball sacks for a crust. Yapping on about how hard life is when you’ve been given a very public spotlight spruiking your chick-lit to the bobbing heads of Mamamia is a bit rich coming from a literal beauty mogul whose fortune is built on women overthinking their skincare (Zoë, do we really need an expensive oil for our lips? What happened to Vaseline?)

To see her using her book tour to yap on about double standards between men and women is so utterly out of touch, especially as the standards she’s speaking about are entirely self-imposed.

Zoë, your book will fly off the shelves if you go on a podcast with or without your undereye concealer.

You built a multimillion-dollar beauty business selling products to us to improve our appearance, yet you now complain about the pressure to look good?

You couldn’t make it up.

Isn’t this the very industry that has spent decades convincing women their faces and skin aren’t good enough?

And now one of its most successful entrepreneurs wants our sympathy because she feels obliged to look polished for a podcast, selling her books that will make her even richer.

Zoë, do you really want to challenge the beauty standards imposed on women? Maybe start with questioning the industry that makes you rich. 

A tense confrontation unfolded in Oregon after an anti-ICE crowd surrounded federal agents’ vehicles and a baseball bat was used to strike one SUV, leading agents to deploy tear gas.

The incident began at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday near Lancaster Drive and Sunnyview Road in Salem. ICE agents told police that approximately 30 people were blocking them from leaving a parking lot.

Video from the scene shows a person holding a baseball bat and hitting a black federal vehicle as it slowly moved through the lot. The blow knocked off the SUV’s side-view mirror.

A woman can be heard shouting, “Get the f**k out of Salem!” as other demonstrators yelled profanities and car horns sounded nearby.

Federal agents then released tear gas to disperse the crowd and create a route for their vehicles to leave, according to information provided to police.

Soon afterward, 911 dispatchers received calls from people reporting burning eyes and breathing difficulties—symptoms commonly associated with exposure to riot-control agents.

First responders treated people at the scene, while detectives began gathering evidence and speaking with witnesses.

Footage from a separate confrontation in Salem on Friday appears to show a protester attempting to grab an ICE agent by the neck and punch him before the agent sprayed the protester.

Cars and pedestrians, some carrying Mexican flags, appeared to block the ICE agents’ path as they attempted to leave the gas station.

“Our officers respond to disturbances such as this solely to de-escalate, provide medical aid when necessary, and collect evidence so that the appropriate oversight agencies can conduct their review,” a City of Salem spokesperson told WRDW.

The confrontation also drew criticism of ICE from Democratic Congresswoman Andrea Salinas, who questioned the agents’ use of force and accused them of worsening tensions.

“I’m deeply concerned about their use of force and their impulse to escalate the situation against Oregonians,” Salinas said.

Salinas alleged that ICE agents had followed and harassed American citizens and driven recklessly, creating risks for other motorists.

She also said ICE operations had forced the closure of sections of Oregon Route 99E.

“If Trump were not using ICE to threaten and terrorize our communities, Oregonians would have been safer today, plain and simple,” Salinas said.

“It’s clear ICE is either not trained or has no desire to deescalate situations or operate safely,” she added.

Salem police said their response focused on de-escalating the disturbance, providing medical assistance and gathering evidence for review.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE as well as the Salem Police Department for comment. 

DON’T MISS: Hero Deputy Rescues Wheelchair-Bound Grandfather From Sharks

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and their conduct have been a source of contention across the country, with Democrats speaking out against how illegal immigrants are being arrested and deported. 

This week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani branded ICE ‘rotten to its core’ and demanded the agency leave the Big Apple.

It comes after massive protests erupted after an agent shot a father inside his car while his five-year-old child was in the vehicle.

Oscar Belgal, 28, survived the shooting and was taken to hospital, where he remains conscious and is receiving medical attention. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to law enforcement officials. 

Federal agents were reportedly targeting Belgal as part of an enforcement operation. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said he was a Dominican man with a prior criminal conviction for grand larceny and multiple other arrests involving assault, robbery, drug possession and weapons possession. 

Belgal is also alleged to have ties to the Trinitarios gang, which was responsible for the killing of a Customs and Border Protection officer last year. Federal agents were reportedly investigating whether he had links to a migrant moped gang shooting. 

Mamdani described the incident as ‘unconscionable and incredibly serious’ in a social media post, adding that his ‘thoughts are with the injured New Yorker and his family tonight. We are praying for his recovery.’

The mayor said he later spoke with President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to demand that ICE agents be removed from the city, but his efforts were unsuccessful.

‘Now I made clear to the president, to the secretary, our request [is] that ICE agents leave the scene entirely — as well as the demand that ICE stop its enforcement actions in New York City,’ he said.

‘We know, and I have said this directly, whether to the president or to the public, ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe,’ he argued.

Meanwhile, other cities in Oregon have fumed against the presence of ICE in their vicinity. Earlier this year, the mayor of Portland told ICE agents to ‘resign’ and ordered the agency to leave after a young girl was tear gassed along with other ‘peaceful protesters.’

Demonstrators at an ‘ICE out’ protest outside an immigration facility were struck with the chemical agent, along with pepper balls and rubber bullets in February 2026.

A video posted to Instagram showed a little girl crying as she attempted to recover after federal agents deployed tear gas.

‘It burns,’ the young girl appears to say.

The girl, who appears to be a preteen, could be seen wearing a pink shirt with butterflies as a protester douses her eyes with water.

‘Good job, spit it out,’ someone can be heard saying as the girl appears distraught.

Keith Wilson, the city’s Democrat mayor, echoed the words of Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in asking the organization to get out.

‘To those who continue to work for ICE: Resign. To those who control this facility: Leave,’ Wilson said in a statement.