Lauren Boebert refused to say Democrats don’t eat babies on live television, and Bill Maher’s reaction says everything

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) shocked comedian and TV host Bill Maher when she refused to clearly say that the QAnon belief about Democrats “eating babies” is false. This happened during her appearance on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and Maher’s visible shock highlighted how some politicians engage with extreme conspiracy theories.

During the Friday night panel, Maher tried to find common ground with QAnon followers, even partly apologizing about the Epstein case. He said QAnon had “it righter” than him on some parts of the Epstein scandal, but quickly added that QAnon also believes “a lot of real batsh— nonsense.” He then directly asked Boebert: “Democrats don’t eat babies. You think they eat babies?”

Boebert’s response was not a clear denial. According to Mediaite, she said, “There is a lot of consumption talk… there is some sick stuff in here that is implying.” She added, “I’m not saying they’re eating babies. I’m saying there is talk of consumption and it ain’t pizza.” Maher replied, “You insist they might be eating babies!” Boebert wrapped up by saying, “I just think there’s some… questionable stuff.”

Boebert’s pattern of mixing unrelated topics with political controversy goes beyond just one TV moment

This is not the first time Boebert has brought the “baby” topic into a public setting. In 2023, during a congressional hearing on the Endangered Species Act (ESA), she waved graphic photos of dead babies and asked whether her colleagues “on the other side would put babies on the endangered species list.” This turned a hearing about environmental policy into a highly political moment.

Boebert was at that hearing to push her “Trust the Science Act,” which calls for removing federal protections for wolves across the country. Other Republicans, like Matt Rosendale of Montana and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, introduced similar bills to remove protections for grizzly bears in their states. Maher has had his own political friction recently, he made headlines after Trump sent him bizarre insulting texts following a White House dinner.

Critics say these bills bypass the scientific process required by the ESA. Steve Guertin of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service testified that such proposals “would supersede ongoing scientific analysis” and “share the common thread of circumventing the scientific processes currently underway.” Rep. Jared Huffman called the agenda “a hot mess of extreme anti-science, anti-tribe, anti-wildlife bills.”

The arguments behind these bills have also relied on questionable data. Boebert cited a statistic claiming “approximately 500 people have been attacked by wolves with nearly 30 of these attacks resulting in human deaths” since 2002, but the report showed only two cases happened in the U.S., with just one fatality.

Hageman called Northern Rockies wolves “non-native Canadian gray wolves,” echoing a conspiracy theory about “super-large strain of extra ferocious predators” placed by the federal government.

The Endangered Species Act, now 50 years old, has protected 99 percent of the species listed under it. Boebert has argued the ESA “has been weaponized by extremists, extremist environmentalists, to restrict common sense multiple use activities.” This episode is just the latest in a series of tense moments for Maher, who was also brutally mocked by Trump over Canada comments not long ago.