Bill Maher Defends Take on Cassie Enduring Diddy's Abuse in Exchange for Fame

Bill Maher's not apologizing to people who hated his recent comments about Cassie ... standing by his argument she essentially made a deal with the devil for fame.

The comedian and talk show host joined us on "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial" ... and, he says he wasn't trying to say Cassie was 100% consenting to freak-offs with her texts -- and, he can see why an abuse victim might send a follow-up message about their enjoyment of the experience to their abuser.

Bill says a lot has changed since the #MeToo movement ... but, he knows people who are in abusive relationships with powerful men may still try to at least get ahead professionally if they were being put through such abuse.

Maher's argument is that "those guys" -- like Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and others convicted of sexual abuse -- are in jail now ... so, in the future, he feels it's important that anyone subjected to such abuse go to the police right away, and not call friends and opt to sit on allegations for years.

Bill recognizes the difference between a man physically barring the door to trap a woman, and a woman staying with a man to maintain a certain lifestyle ... and, he's encouraging women to embrace their agency, leave abusers and report them.

Of course, we recently had on a prominent psychologist who ripped apart Maher's take on "TMZ Live" ... telling him his comments made him sound like an "a**hole."