Bill Maher used his HBO show to call critics of Israel antisemites, and the segment landed badly with viewers and his own studio audience — bad news for Maher's standing with younger and left-leaning viewers.

• Maher said anyone who refuses to wish Israel a happy 78th birthday is antisemitic and told Democrats he will not back the party until they "fix" their hatred.
• The studio audience reportedly went silent twice during the monologue, forcing Maher to prompt his own laugh lines.
• 80% of Democratic voters now hold a negative view of Israel, and under-50s across all parties give Israel a deeply negative rating.
• Critics say Maher ignored the Gaza death toll, ongoing land seizures in the West Bank, and the displacement of a million people in southern Lebanon.
• The segment fits a broader media pattern of framing any criticism of Israel as bigotry rather than a response to the war itself.

Outlook: Public opinion against Israel keeps hardening in the US, and TV defenders like Maher are increasingly out of step with their own audiences.