--- title: "Kid Rock Compares Senate Candidate to 9/11 Hijackers on Bill Maher Show" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-11-01T00:46:01.095Z" source_reported: "2026-10-31T18:35:53.000Z" updated: "2026-11-01T00:46:01.095Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-31T23:47:24.408Z" --- # Kid Rock Compares Senate Candidate to 9/11 Hijackers on Bill Maher Show *Bill Maher fact-checked the musician's claim about Abdul El-Sayed's assimilation.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and six digests corroborate the central claim, with specific details on the 9/11 hijackers' nationalities. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. The reporting clearly separates claims from fact-checks and includes details on the political context of the discussion. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headlines focus on Kid Rock's statements, with some outlets using loaded language like 'heaping dose of reality'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Kid Rock compared Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers on Bill Maher's show. - Bill Maher interrupted Kid Rock to fact-check the comparison, stating the 9/11 hijackers were not assimilated. - Fifteen of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals. - Abdul El-Sayed is a Muslim physician running for the Michigan Senate seat against Republican Mike Rogers. Musician Kid Rock drew a comparison between Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and the 9/11 hijackers during an appearance on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. The exchange occurred as Maher and his panel discussed El-Sayed, a Muslim physician and former Detroit health director who is running against Republican Mike Rogers for the state's Senate seat. Former President Barack Obama had campaigned with El-Sayed in Detroit on October 24th. ## Disagreement on Hijacker Assimilation Kid Rock stated that while El-Sayed appeared assimilated, the 9/11 hijackers had also been well-assimilated. He expressed concern about Islamic extremism and questioned if El-Sayed might hold radical beliefs. Bill Maher challenged this, asserting that the 9/11 hijackers were not assimilated and had come from Saudi Arabia. Kid Rock questioned Maher's assertion about the hijackers' nationality. Reports indicate that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals, with the remaining four from the UAE, Egypt, and Lebanon. The 9/11 Commission reports that most of the hijackers entered the US a few months before the attacks, while the pilots had arrived earlier, suggesting they were not assimilated Americans. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention Bill Maher's fact-checking of Kid Rock's comparison regarding the assimilation of the 9/11 hijackers. The digests from American Wire News and Bizpac Review do not include the specific comparison Kid Rock made between Abdul El-Sayed and the 9/11 hijackers. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 14% (1) - Centre: 15% (1) - Right: 71% (5) 1 of 8 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-31T23:47:24.408Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-01T12:00:26.497Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Variety, rated left, led with Bill Maher fact-checking Kid Rock's comparison of Abdul El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers. The report noted Maher's statement that the hijackers were not assimilated and came from Saudi Arabia. It also detailed Maher's opening monologue about Trump's social media posts and his comparison of the president to Taylor Swift. The report mentioned Kid Rock's presence at a White House dinner with Trump and Maher. ### Centre - Consequence, rated centre, focused on Kid Rock's comparison of Abdul El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers and Bill Maher's subsequent fact-check. The full report stated Kid Rock's belief that El-Sayed was assimilated but that the 9/11 hijackers had been too, expressing fear of Islamic extremism. It detailed Maher's counter-argument about the hijackers' lack of assimilation and their Saudi origins, and Kid Rock's disbelief. The report also included details about Kid Rock's defence of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and an incident involving Army Apache helicopters near Kid Rock's home. ### Right - Five right-rated outlets, The Gateway Pundit, Trending Politics, news-pravda.com, American Wire News, and Bizpac Review, published digests that focused on Kid Rock's appearance on Bill Maher's show. These digests highlighted Kid Rock's comments about Abdul El-Sayed, often framing it as Kid Rock offering Maher a "dose of reality" or educating him and his "liberal audience." American Wire News and Bizpac Review also noted Kid Rock's comments about the upcoming midterm elections, stating he "pumped the brakes" on Maher's prediction of a Republican "thumping." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 2 - low: 2 - mixed: 1 - high: 2 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Politics, Policy, Political News](https://politicom.com.au/kid-rock-offers-bill-maher-a-heaping-dose-of-reality-about-abdul-el-sayed-video) — Kid Rock Offers Bill Maher a Heaping Dose of REALITY About Abdul El-Sayed - Politics, Policy, Political Views - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/kid-rock-offers-bill-maher-heaping-dose-reality) — Kid Rock Offers Bill Maher a Heaping Dose of REALITY About Abdul El-Sayed - [TrendingPolitics](https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/kid-rock-reveals-trump-let-him-handle-call-with-a-world-leader-during-golf-outing-cmc) — Kid Rock Reveals Trump Let Him ‘Take Over’ Call With A World Leader In Hilarious Clip - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/10/31/2708449.html) — Kid Rock has Bill Maher pounding on the table laughing as he tells the wild story of how Trump left him on the phone with the president of France - [Consequence](https://consequence.net/2026/10/kid-rock-abdul-el-sayed-9-11-hijackers-maher) — Christian Musician Kid Rock Compares Abdul El-Sayed to 9/11 Hijackers - [American Wire News](https://americanwirenews.com/kid-rock-douses-bill-mahers-hopes-of-a-republican-thumping-in-midterms) — Kid Rock douses Bill Maher’s hopes of a Republican 'thumping' in midterms · American Wire News - [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/10/31/kid-rock-douses-bill-mahers-hopes-of-a-republican-thumping-in-midterms-1665619) — Kid Rock douses Bill Maher’s hopes of a Republican ‘thumping’ in midterms - [Variety](https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/kid-rock-abdul-el-sayed-9-11-hijackers-real-time-bill-maher-1236935914) — Bill Maher Fact-Checks Kid Rock After He Compares Abdul El-Sayed to 9/11 Hijackers on ‘Real Time’ ## Questions **What did Kid Rock say about Abdul El-Sayed?** During an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, Kid Rock compared Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the 9/11 hijackers. Kid Rock stated that while El-Sayed appeared assimilated, the hijackers had also been well-assimilated, expressing concerns about Islamic extremism. **How did Bill Maher respond to Kid Rock's comparison?** Bill Maher challenged Kid Rock's comparison, stating that the 9/11 hijackers were not assimilated and came from Saudi Arabia. Maher also noted that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, and that they had arrived in the US shortly before the attacks, not assimilated over a long period. **Who is Abdul El-Sayed?** Abdul El-Sayed is a Muslim physician and former Detroit health director who is running as a Democratic candidate for the Michigan Senate seat. He is campaigning against Republican Mike Rogers. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Kid Rock Compares Senate Candidate to 9/11 Hijackers on Bill Maher Show", https://mediabias.news/politics/kid-rock-compares-senate-candidate-to-911-hijackers-on-bill-maher-show