Yeah, like "thinking you are owed a living" for doing a job is, well, yeah -- a transaction. It's a job. If you do it, you should get paid something equitable to the role + the amount of money you're bringing to the company. Because it's "soft value" that writers provide, they think they can just rip them off. If you're a star writer or star actor, it's just like football -- you can make a shit-ton of money because you are specifically in high demand. If you're not a name, you could still be paid a solid wage for your efforts. This crap is why I work in computers for a living rather than having wanted to risk my income on this kind of bs as a writer.
Meanwhile, if Maher wasn't getting paid for his work or lost his air time because no one cared what he'd had to say anymore, he'd just be bitching about being canceled or some other shit. He's more interested in throwing turds in the water to splash people and get their dander up, he's a professional contrarian.
Gaffigan's always been pretty decent from what I've seen.