Bill Maher Calls for Fraternities to Be Abolished

Bill Maher, a Cornell University alumnus, has called for the abolition of all fraternities in the wake of the alleged sexual assault case involving seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity, dubbed the “Cornell 7.” During a segment on his HBO show "Real Time," Maher criticized Greek life, stating that all-male organizations inherently foster depravity.

"Any place that’s all male, no girls allowed, just doesn’t function without depravity," Maher said. "Just ask the Catholic Church. Ask the Taliban." He added that fraternities exacerbate negative aspects of male behavior, including drinking, cruelty, the treatment of women, tribalism, peer pressure, conformity, segregation, bullying, and elitism.

The "Cornell 7" saga involves a lawsuit filed by a former student, identified as "Jane Doe," who accused seven Chi Phi fraternity brothers of gang-raping her in October 2024 after she was allegedly plied with alcohol and ketamine. The lawsuit also claims the university failed to protect her.

Maher, who graduated from Cornell in 1978, expressed strong disapproval of his alma mater's handling of the situation and Greek life in general. "Cornell sucks and I f–king hated it," he stated. "I’m glad to see them eating a s–t sandwich. It’s true. Also, this s–t could have happened anywhere there are fraternities, because it happens everywhere there are fraternities."

He questioned the fraternity ethos of being a "gentleman," contrasting it with the alleged actions of the accused students. Maher also pointed to hazing incidents as a reason to abolish Greek life, citing that 128 hazing-related deaths have occurred since 2000, according to HazingInfo. He also extended his criticism to sororities, describing them as environments that foster cliques, insecurity, and mean-girl behavior.

According to Doe's lawsuit, she initially consented to a threesome with two fraternity members but later reported the incident as rape after realizing she had been sexually assaulted. Local prosecutors initially declined to press charges. However, an internal Cornell investigation found two fraternity members responsible for sexual assault and expelled them, while the other five received lesser punishments. New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed as a special prosecutor to review the reopened case.