Bill Maher Jokingly Compares Zayn Malik to Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect—Watch

"This is disgusting, racist and islamophobic," one person said.

By Corinne Heller Apr 05, 2015 4:47 PMTags
Bill MaherYouTube

Oh yes he did.

The recent departure of singer Zayn Malik from One Direction, which leaves the boy band as a foursome, has invoked tears among fans...as well as many jokes among non-fans. Bill Maher, who seems to fall into the latter category, recently offered his two cents and One Directioners and many others are not amused.

"Zayn Malk can just go ahead and quit One Direction for all I care," the Real Time With Bill Maher host said in a video titled "Silly Zayn," posted several days ago on the political HBO show's YouTube page. "I mean, whatever. But I think after everything we've been through, I at least deserve the common respect of being told face-to-face."

"Just tell me two things, Zayn: Which one in the band were you? And where were you during the Boston Maraton?" he said to a laughing studio audience, as a photo of Malik and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is currently on trial and accused of killing three people and injuring 264 with pressure-cooker bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

"That's disgusting," one user commented on YouTube. "I won't even call that a joke. Even if I'm not a fan of 1D, I'd mad because this is basic courtesy and respect for an individual.."

"This is disgusting, racist and Islamophobic," another person said.

Others shrugged it off.

"People obviously don't understand comedy lol," one person wrote.

"That's soooo awful...but I laughed," said another.

Malik, who is 22 and is British, and the bombing suspect, who emigrated with his family to the United States from Chechnya, both sport dark brown hair and were raised Muslim.

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges, including 17 that could get him the death penalty, such as use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death. Amid a manhunt that ensued after he fled the attack scene, he hid in a boat and Reuters reported that authorities found inside it a note with a bullet hole that read, "We Muslims are one body you hurt one you hurt us all."

Maher had also poked fun at Mailk and the One Direction shakeup on Twitter.

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