Liberal comedian Bill Maher didn't mince words about the death of industrialist David Koch, ripping the billionaire on his HBO program Friday for funding "climate-science deniers" and hoping his "end was painful."
Some in the Real Time audience clapped as Maher relayed the news that Koch, a philanthropist and backer of conservative and libertarian causes, had died of prostate cancer. He and his brother Charles Koch have been liberal bogeymen for years for their extensive donations to Republicans.
"I guess I'm going to have to reevaluate my low opinion of prostate cancer," Maher said. "He was 79. His family says they wish it could be longer, but at least he lived long enough to see the Amazon catch fire."
"Condolences poured in from all the politicians he owned, and mourners have been asked in lieu of flowers to just leave their car engines running," Maher added. "As for his remains, he’s been asked to be cremated and have his ashes blown into a child’s lungs."
Maher predicted his words would be condemned on Fox News but dismissed the idea that Koch should only be remembered as a principled believer in the free market.
"He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate-science deniers for decades, so f—k him," he said. "The Amazon is burning up. I’m glad he’s dead, and I hope the end was painful."
Maher has also repeatedly expressed hope that an economic recession soon hits the United States, to ensure President Donald Trump isn't re-elected.
Koch inspired a strong reaction in the left throughout his life. The Free Beacon recalled Friday that liberals protested the opening of a hospital in 2014 because he donated $100 million to it.
Several left-wing journalists took to Twitter Friday to celebrate his death or say he should be remembered as a villain.