Bill Maher's ex suggests he used the N-word while with her

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Coco Johnsen, pictured with Maher, believes he made the comment for 'shock value'

Coco Johnsen, pictured with Maher, believes he made the comment for 'shock value'

The former girlfriend of HBO host Bill Maher - who prompted outrage when he used the expression house n***** last week - has suggested he used racial slurs while with her, it is claimed.

Coco Johnsen, who dated the 61-year-old for around 18 months, claimed he used the word for 'shock value', and did not expect the backlash he has received.

She did not explicitly say he had used the word around her, instead telling TMZ that people using the word should use 'other vocabulary'.

When their relationship ended in 2004, Johnsen filed a lawsuit alleging that he broke promises to marry her, shook her at a party and used 'degrading' racial language.

The case was thrown out by a Superior Court judge in 2005. 

Johnsen told TMZ: 'I just think that anyone who uses the n-word is very insensitive, just use another word next time, I'm sure that he's learned his lesson.

'Maybe a little sensitivity training at the NAACP could do some use.' 

Asked if Maher had used the word around her, she simply said: 'I've heard the word many times.'

Johnsen defended Maher against charges of racism, saying she felt he used the word for 'shock value'.

Johnsen defended Maher against charges of racism, saying she felt he used the word for 'shock value'.

Johnsen said: 'I wouldn't say he's racist, I just think he's using the word like a comedian would use, for some shock value and I don't think that he believed he would get the backlash that he has gotten' When their relationship ended in 2004, Johnsen filed a lawsuit alleging that he broke promises to marry her, shook her at a party and used 'degrading' racial language

Johnsen said: 'I wouldn't say he's racist, I just think he's using the word like a comedian would use, for some shock value and I don't think that he believed he would get the backlash that he has gotten'

When pressed if it was from Maher, she said: 'I don't want to say exactly from where, but I've heard it many times and I think anyone that uses that word, you need to use other vocabulary.

'It's so condescending and sad that someone so intelligent could stoop to that level.'

But she defended him against charges of racism, saying she felt he used the word for 'shock value'.

Johnsen said: 'I wouldn't say he's racist, I just think he's using the word like a comedian would use, for some shock value and I don't think that he believed he would get the backlash that he has gotten.'

HBO revealed the Emmy-award winning host of their longest-running late-night program is going nowhere, despite days of social media outrage and calls for the network to fire him.

His upcoming comedy tour will also go ahead as planned, with none of the venues making the decision to pull out, TMZ has reported.

Staff at the 'majority' of venues are reported to have told TMZ they were either not aware of the televised incident - or were looking into it. 

Cube told Maher that it's different when a white person uses the N-word than when a black person uses it. 'When I hear my homies say it, it don't feel like venom. When I hear a white person say it, it feels like that knife stabbin' me, even if they don't mean it,' Cube said 

Bill Maher will continue to host his 'Real Time' show and go on tour despite using a racial slur on air last week (above in February at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party)

Despite the public's outrage over the incident, Maher's upcoming comedy tour will go ahead as planned, with none of the venues making the decision to pull out, TMZ reported

Maher's upcoming comedy tour will go ahead as planned, with none of the venues making the decision to pull out, TMZ has reported

Maher will be back on set this Friday for the normally scheduled taping of 'Real Time', an HBO executive confirmed to DailyMail.com.

The outspoken 61-year-old has not yet commented on the network's decision to keep him on, having done his best to keep a low profile in the wake of the incident.

Chance the Rapper was one of the first to comment on the situation, writing on Twitter early Saturday: 'Please @HBO Do Not Air Another Episode Of Real Time With Bill Maher.' 

It is not all good news though, as Maher has already lost one of his scheduled guests for the program on Friday.

The host's good friend, comedian-turned-politician Al Franken, announced on Monday that he will not be appearing on the show.

'Senator Franken believes that what Bill Maher said was inappropriate and offensive, which is why he made the decision not to appear on the next episode of 'Real Time,'' said Franken's office in a statement on Monday. 

'He was glad to see Bill, who the Senator considers to be a good friend, apologize and express sincere regret for his comment.'

Maher's slip-of-the-tongue happened during his sit-down interview that appears at the top of each episode, and last Friday that one-on-one was with Republican Senator Ben Sasse (pictured) of Nebraska 

Pejorative: The popular host of the long-running late-night program outraged many when he used the phrase 'house n*****' on his most recent episode last Friday (above last Friday on 'Real Time' with Senator Ben Sasse)

Response: 'Please @HBO Do Not Air Another Episode Of Real Time With Bill Maher,' wrote Chance the Rapper (above)

Response: 'Please @HBO Do Not Air Another Episode Of Real Time With Bill Maher,' wrote Chance the Rapper (above)

TMZ was the first to report that Maher would be returning to work on Friday.

HBO has decided however to remove the racial slur from the episode so that it will not seen in any subsequent airings, with the phrase coming just minutes into the program. 

It happened during Maher's sit-down interview that appears at the top of each episode, and last Friday that one-on-one was with Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska.

The men argued a bit and chatted as is standard custom, but then things took a turn following a rather innocuous comment.  

At one point during their exchange, Senator Sasse invited Maher back to his home state by saying: 'We'd love to have you work in the fields with us.' 

Maher immediately fired back: 'Work in the fields? Senator, I'm a house n*****.' 

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The backlash was quick, with many in disbelief that Maher would utter such a pejorative term in the middle of his show.

In the studio, there were a few laughs but mostly groans from the audience, while Senator Sasse appeared incredibly uncomfortable.

'No, it's a joke,' explained Maher, which did little to change the mood.

Twitter meanwhile erupted as many began to attack Maher and the network, just four days after social media users launched what looked to be a successful campaign to have comedian Kathy Griffin fired from CNN.  

Senator Sasse was the first to apologize for the exchange once the fallout began over the weekend, releasing a statement via a Twitter thread on his personal account.

'Am walking off a redeye from LAX. 3 reflections on @billmaher 1. I'm a 1st Amendment absolutist. Comedians get latitude to cross hard lines,' began Senator Sasse.

'But free speech comes with a responsibility to speak up when folks use that word. Me just cringing last night wasn't good enough.'

Senator Sasse went on to say: 'Here's what I wish I'd been quick enough to say in the moment: 'Hold up, why would you think it's OK to use that word?''

He then closed out by stating: 'The history of the n-word is an attack on universal human dignity. It's therefore an attack on the American Creed. Don't use it.'

In a Twitter thread on Saturday, Senator Ben Sasse wrote: 'Here's what I wish I'd been quick enough to say in the moment: "Hold up, why would you think it's OK to use that word?"' Sasse is pictured on Maher's show last Friday 

Coulda. woulda, shoulda: In a Twitter thread on Saturday, Senator Ben Sasse wrote: ''Here's what I wish I'd been quick enough to say in the moment: 'Hold up, why would you think it's OK to use that word?''

Leading the pack: Deray Mckesson was one of the first to comment on the situation, writing last week: 'But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable'

Leading the pack: Deray Mckesson was one of the first to comment on the situation, writing on Friday: 'But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable'

Next up was HBO, who released a more formal statement soon after Senator Sasse's tweet storm. 

'Bill Maher's comment last night was completely inexcusable and tasteless,' read the statement. 

'We are removing his deeply offensive comment from any subsequent airings of the show.'

The network did not initially remove that portion of the interview, with the first repeat episode of the program last Friday still containing the slur when it aired at midnight.

Last, but not least, was Maher. 

'Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I'm up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn't have said on my live show,' said Maher. 

'Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry.'

Activist Deray Mckesson presented his argument for why HBO should fire Maher in a series of tweets on Saturday.

'There is no circumstance in which Bill Maher, as a rich wt man, would ever be implicated in the word like he pretends to be. He knows this,' wrote Mckkesson.

He followed that tweet up by stating: 'Bill Maher would like us to believe that his use of the n-word is in joking solidarity. But w/ whom? He was talking about us, not w/ us.' 

He was also one of the first to comment on the situation, writing on Friday: 'But really, @BillMaher has got to go. There are no explanations that make this acceptable.'

The decision to keep Maher was a bit less complicated than the one CNN had to make with Griffin, or Fox News had to make back in April after Bill O'Reilly's sexual harassment scandal(Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos)

The odd couple: 'The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry,' said Maher in a statement apologizing on Saturday (Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos)

The decision to keep Maher is a bit less complicated than the one CNN had to make with Griffin, or Fox News had to make back in April after Bill O'Reilly's sexual harassment scandal.

Since HBO is funded by paid subscribers, there is no threat of advertisers boycotting Maher's show like they had done with O'Reilly and could have done with Griffin on the network's New Year's Eve broadcast.  

Maher of course is no stranger to controversy, and frequently targets Republicans, conservatives and Catholics on his program. 

He is also one of the few hosts to welcome a diverse group of political guests on each week.

One of those guests earlier this year was Milo Yiannopoulos in another episode that gained headlines.

The former Breitbart writer used his platform om the show to launch into a a five-minute rant against transgender people, saying that he did not want them in the bathroom with little girls.

He then attacked the intelligence of the panel and one of the guest's, at which point the normally docile and calm Larry Wilmore told the bejeweled Brit: 'Go f*** yourself.'

Many expressed their outrage at that time too on social media, wondering why Maher let Yiannopoulos on the show. 

 

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