Bill Maher on Using the N-Word: 'I Did a Bad Thing'

One week after he shocked viewers by casually dropping the N-word in a joke on his "Real Time with Bill Maher," Maher apologized on the show's latest live episode.

With author and sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson at his side, Maher said, "There is a lot of bullsh*t apologizing in America, and I am against that." He called his apology appropriate because, "For black folks, that word — I don't care who you are — has caused pain. I'm not here to do that."

His apology was not without his trademark humor, People magazine reports, with Maher joking, "I'm not that big of an a**hole."

Maher also gave his support to Kathy Griffin, who caused outrage by posing for an image holding a bloody-looking mask that resembled Donald Trump's head. "Everyone makes mistakes," he said. "Kathy Griffin should not go away."

Another guest on "Real Time," rapper Ice Cube, was not afraid to confront Maher more, even though he accepted Maher's apology. "I love your show, you've got a great show. But you be bucking up against that line a little bit... Sometimes, you sound like a redneck trucker."

Ice Cube explained the caustic nature of the N-word, saying, "It's like a knife, man. And you can use it as a weapon or you can use it as a tool. It's been used as a weapon against us — by white people. And we're not going to let that happen again, by nobody, because it's not cool. Now I know you've heard, it's in the lexicon, everybody's talking. But that's our word now, and you can't have it back."