And I wonder if the responses/perception to my comments change now if I reveal that I am not white but an immigrant. The n-word is a rather weird social phenomenon.

Nope - but that he did not use the word to demean anyone (except for the Nebraskan Senator).

I think many people including me did not take the comment as an insult. It was almost a self-deprecating joke. Maher invites Black Americans on his show almost every week, so I don't really doubt his intentions.