Ann Coulter appeared as a guest on the very first episode of HBO's “Real Time with Bill Maher.” The episode premiered on February 21, 2003, and also featured Larry Miller and Michael Eric Dyson among its guests.
The program was created as Bill Maher's successor to “Politically Incorrect,” which had ended the previous year. Like its predecessor, “Real Time” mixed political discussion, comedy, and cultural commentary, but its HBO format allowed longer conversations and a more openly uncensored tone. Coulter's presence immediately established the show's preference for assembling guests with sharply contrasting viewpoints.
Coulter was already a nationally known conservative commentator and author, while Dyson was an academic and public intellectual; comedian Larry Miller added a different perspective. A common mix-up is confusing the first episode of “Real Time” with the first episode of “Politically Incorrect,” Maher's earlier talk show. Coulter also appeared repeatedly on later Maher programs, making her one of the show's most recognizable early guests.