Bill Maher postpones return to the air, the latest TV host to balk at working during writers strike

Bill Maher has delayed returning to his HBO talk show during the ongoing strike by writers and actors, a decision that follows similar pauses over the weekend by “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

Maher last week said he would bring his show back into production, but on Monday said he'll wait because talks are scheduled between producers and writers this week.

“My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike,” Maher said via social media. “Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of ‘Real Time,’ for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”

Meanwhile, "Sherri," the weekday talk show hosted by Sherri Shepherd, returned to TV for its second season on Monday.

Shepherd addressed the writers and actors strikes on her first show back, reported Deadline.com.

Shepherd said her show has never employed any Writers Guild of America writers.

"This summer you all may have seen your favorite actors and Hollywood stars have been on the picket lines with the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes," she said. "There has been so much confusion about who can work and who can’t work. Well, I’m a SAG-AFTRA actress and I actually marched with some of my colleagues while in Los Angeles recently. That’s me with Viola Davis, Niecy Nash,” she said. “But here’s the thing, talk shows in general fall under a different union contract code, so we’re allowed to come back unless you’re a WGA show. The Sherri show is not a WGA show and we have never employed WGA writers, so us coming back to work isn’t crossing the picket line.”

She added that she writes the jokes on her show and it is her “comedic take on the headlines."