Bill Maher: Why Aren’t Romantic Relationships Allowed In The Workplace?
Last week, Bill Maher devoted almost eight minutes on his HBO show to a topic that has befuddled me for years: Why are consensual romantic relationships so taboo in the…
Comedian Bill Maher speaks onstage at the 2011 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Barbra Streisand held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 11, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesLast week, Bill Maher devoted almost eight minutes on his HBO show to a topic that has befuddled me for years: Why are consensual romantic relationships so taboo in the American workplace? More specifically, Maher challenges the idea of banning office romances between supervisors and subordinates.
In the Real Time with Bill Maher segment, the comedian explains that people spend a lot of their time at work and, as they get to know their colleagues, they could fall in love. He's right. It only makes sense that you're more likely to connect with a person you see on a regular basis.
Ime Udoka
Maher brings up the recent season-long suspension of Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka for an "improper, intimate, and consensual" relationship with a subordinate. The team calls it a violation of their code of conduct. If Udoka was somehow abusing his power, that would definitely be a problem. However, Maher says if the relationship was truly consensual, it's nobody's business.
In fairness to the Celtics, they may be right to part ways with Udoka. The coach was engaged to actress Nia Long at the time of this workplace relationship. On top of that, he has a ten-year-old son with Long. There's also an accusation of Udoka using crude language toward the other woman. Sometimes people lose jobs over their character, or lack thereof.
Sleeping with the Boss
Bill Maher names other high-profile cases of people being punished for having consensual relationships. Former CNN chief Jeff Zucker was ousted for having a consensual relationship with another executive at the news channel. It didn't appear to cause a problem in the day-to-day running of the network.
How about an example that could have altered the course of history? If there had been no love in the workplace when Barack Obama met Michelle Robinson, Maher suggests they might never have tied the knot. The former president was literally his future wife's intern when they began dating.
Bill Maher also points to the consensual relationship between Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde. They got together while she was directing him in the film Don't Worry Darling. The movie was completed and released, and Harry and Olivia are still very much a couple. Life goes on.
Phil and Sara
My 23-year marriage is the product of an office romance. Sara and I met while we were working for the same broadcasting company in Austin, Texas. Technically, we were not supposed to date, according to a lightly-enforced corporate policy. Also, Sara was in management. I was not. That never caused any problems because our relationship was consensual and no abuses of power ever occurred.
Thankfully, the company treated us like responsible adults and never interfered in our courtship. Many of our bosses even came to the wedding. If Sara and I had not pursued our relationship, I might still be on the dating scene. That wouldn't be good for anyone.
To Date or Not to Date?
I don't always agree with Bill Maher but I do about this. Why shouldn't two consenting and available adults be allowed to pursue a healthy romantic relationship with each other? I mean, isn't it better to have happy employees? Of course, there's always the risk of a breakup, which could lead to some employee turnover, but people change jobs all the time for all sorts of reasons anyway. Just ask your H.R. director.
What do you think? Should office romances be off-limits? Has it ever caused a problem where you work? Did you ever date and/or marry a co-worker? You can see Bill Maher's entire monologue HERE. But be careful! While dating a coworker might be acceptable at your office, Bill's language probably is not.
These are the Most Talked About Celebrity Couples of 2022
Celebrity couples are always a hot topic of conversation and from the jaw-dropping PDA between Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly, to the pregnancy news of A$AP Rocky and Rihanna, to the irresistible charm of Tom and Zendaya, this year has been a whirlwind of A-lister romance that has turned heads.
But who are the most talked about celebrity couples of 2022 that have made waves in the media? Well, in their latest Celebrity Power Couple Report of 2022, PrettyLittleThing has analyzed data from the media landscape to reveal the most talked about celebrity power couples of 2022 who never fail to make the headlines. Check out the most talked about celebrity couples of 2022.
20. Cole Tucker and Vanessa Hudgens
Monica Schipper/Getty ImagesThe pair first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted holding hands in November 2020, less than one year after her split from longtime love Austin Butler. The couple went Instagram official in honor of Valentine’s Day the following year. “Me and Cole met on a Zoom meditation group. Very random, yes,” the High School Musical star told Entertainment Tonight in April 2021. “Zoom, you’ve got to love it.”
19. Rita Ora and Taika Waititi
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesThe couple made headlines when they were spotted in Australia sharing a three-way kiss with Tessa Thompson in May 2021. They reportedly began dating a few months prior in March.
18. Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty ImagesYouTubers Zoe Sugg and Alfie Deyes first got acquainted at a meet and greet in 2012 and went public with their romance the following year. Since then, they've enjoyed heaps of happy milestones together, like moving into their first home and now have a baby girl together.
17. Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/VogueAlicia and Swizz actually met as teenagers when the singer was just getting started in the music industry. Swizz marriede Mashonda Tifrere and had a son with her in 2006. It’s been widely speculated that Swizz and Mashonda were married when Swizz began seeing Alicia, though the couple claim Swizz and his wife were already broken up by then. The couple have been married since 2010.
16. Avril Lavigne and Mod Sun
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyAvril recently opened up about meeting Mod when they collaborated on Mod's single Flames on his 2021 album 'Internet Killed the Rock Star.' In an interview with People, she revealed that after sparks flew during their songwriting session, the pair began dating "immediately". "I just followed my heart," she said.
15. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesIn April 1988, Hanks and Wilson tied the knot. "The success of our relationship was a matter of timing, maturity and our willingness to have an intimate connection," Tom told Oprah Winfrey. 34 years later, they're still going strong!
14. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
Scott Olson/Getty ImagesWhen Michelle Obama met Barack Obama in 1989 at the Chicago law firm where they both worked, it was not exactly love at first sight — even though he was quite popular around the office. “In my experience, you put a suit on any half-intelligent Black man and white people tended to go bonkers,” Michelle went on to write in her 2018 memoir, 'Becoming. '“I was doubtful he’d earned the hype.”
13. Chrissy Teigen and John Legend
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyChrissy Teigen and John Legend are a power couple to be reckoned with — and they have the swoon-worthy love story to prove it. The duo met in 2006 on the set of Legend's “Stereo” music video. Though they parted ways after the shoot, Teigen later told Cosmopolitan in June 2014 that they “hooked up” that night.
12. Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WarnerMediaNicole Kidman and Keith Urban have been married for about 15 years, which, in Hollywood terms, is equivalent to 50 years. But despite their long, dedicated relationship and successful careers in the spotlight, the two manage to keep their private life, well... very private.
11. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Perrie Edwards
Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesLittle Mix star Perrie Edwards and Liverpool player boyfriend Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are one of the hottest couples in showbiz and have been together since late 2016/early 2017.
10. David Beckham and Victoria Beckham
Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesOne of the UK's biggest and best exports, the Beckhams remain one of the biggest power couples ever. They've been married for 22 years now, and they've never looked happier - maybe because their combined net worth is $900,000,000.
9. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice AssociationAfter making recent headlines of slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in retaliation to a joke made about Jada's alopecia condition, the couple's relationship was heavily criticized online for Jada's cheating scandal.
8. Tom Holland and Zendaya
Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesSpider-Man's own power couple, TomDaya, have a combined follower count of 165,333,632. After photos emerged of the couple kissing in a car, they have been increasingly showing off their affection for one another at public outings. We're all for it!
7. Adele and Rich Paul
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesIn an interview with Vogue, Adele finally spoke about her relationship with Paul, revealing that they were friends for a while before dating. They originally met at a party where she drunkenly joked that he should sign her as a client.
6. Cardi B and Offset
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images for The Recording AcademyCardi B and Offset met in 2016 and their romantic relationship began in early 2017. They secretly tied the knot on September 20, 2017, and Offset proposed to the rapper onstage a month later. News of their wedding didn't break until June of 2018 and they welcomed baby Kulture a month later.
5. A$AP Rocky and Rihanna
Rich Fury/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty & Fenty SkinThe hottest mom and dad-to-be aren’t just one of the best looking duos out there, but they’re also pretty high earners. They also came out 5th in the overall power couple score. Their combined net worth is $1,710,000,000. Rihanna herself is responsible for most of this wealth - even with her music career on the back-burner, her makeup and lingerie businesses are absolutely thriving.
4. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Noam Galai/Getty Images for NetflixBlake and Ryan had 2,514 articles written about them in the last 12 months, less than the other top contenders, but with their combined social media following of 71,435,859 they pull their way into the top three.
3. Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde
Gareth Cattermole/Rich Fury/Getty Images for LACMAHarry and Olivia met on the set of a film she was directing in 2020, and the rest was history. Their whirlwind romance has been well-documented so far: living their best lives on yachts and walking hand-in-hand in sunny California. These two have been the talk of the town ever since the first hand-hold sighting, with 4,283 articles written about them in the last 12 months.
2. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBSFrom giving way too much information in interviews to bringing some iconic looks to the red carpet, it's no shock that Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox land in second place. They rank second overall for combined social media engagement rate (26.6%) and have had 4,428 articles written about them in the last year.
1. Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesJustin and Hailey Bieber started dating in 2016 and got married two years later in September 2019. Per PrettyLittleThing, there have been 9,520 articles written about the couple in the last 12 months, making them the most talked about duo on our list.
