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Do not fill this in! {{short description|American late-night talk show}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox television | name = Last Week Tonight {{nowrap|with John Oliver}} | alt_name = ''Last Week Tonight'' | image = Last Week Tonight.svg | image_alt = Black and red text on a white background reading "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver". | caption = | genre = {{plainlist| * [[News satire]] * [[Political satire]] * [[Talk show]] }} | creator = [[John Oliver]] | writer = <!-- Per infobox template rules, writer(s) should not be included if series has 5+ writers --> | director = {{plainlist| * Joe Perota * Christopher Werner * Jim Hoskinson * Paul Pennolino * Bruce Leddy }} | presenter = John Oliver | narrated = [[David Kaye (voice actor)|David Kaye]] | opentheme = "Go" by [[Valley Lodge (band)|Valley Lodge]]<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=476822910494310400 |user=LastWeekTonight |title=By the way, our theme song "Go" is performed by the excellent rock band @ValleyLodge! |date=June 11, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Hill (comedian) |date=April 29, 2014 |title=Valley Lodge's "Go" Is the Theme Song for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on HBO |url=http://davehillonline.com/blog/2014/04/valley-lodges-go-is-the-theme-song-for-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-on-hbo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401105027/http://davehillonline.com/blog/2014/04/valley-lodges-go-is-the-theme-song-for-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-on-hbo/ |archive-date=April 1, 2016 |access-date=April 2, 2016 |publisher=DaveHillOnline.com}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 11 | num_episodes = 298 | list_episodes = List of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episodes | executive_producer = {{plainlist| * John Oliver * [[Tim Carvell]] * Liz Stanton * James Taylor * [[Jon Thoday]] }} | location = [[CBS Broadcast Center]]<br />New York, New York | runtime = 30–45 minutes<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=927269314025140225 |user=LastWeekTonight |title=You got an extra hour of sleep this morning, so you should be well-rested for tonight's 40-minute episode that starts at 11:15. |date=November 5, 2017}}</ref> | company = {{plainlist| * HBO Entertainment * Avalon Television * Partially Important Productions * Sixteen String Jack Productions * Borchard Entertainment (2024–present) }} | network = [[HBO]]<br>[[Max (streaming service)|Max]] | first_aired = {{Start date|2014|4|27}} | last_aired = {{End date|present}} }} '''''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver''''' (often abridged as '''''Last Week Tonight''''') is an American [[late-night talk show|late-night talk]] and [[satire]] television program hosted by comedian [[John Oliver]].<ref name="order">{{Cite news |last=Patten |first=Dominic |date=February 12, 2014 |title=HBO Sets Name & Date For John Oliver Debut |work=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |url=https://www.deadline.com/2014/02/hbo-sets-name-date-for-john-oliver-debut/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214111313/http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/hbo-sets-name-date-for-john-oliver-debut/ |archive-date=February 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Perspective {{!}} Why John Oliver's anti-catharsis comedy is political late night's reigning template |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/tv/2022/02/24/john-oliver-last-week-tonight/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The half-hour-long show premiered in the end of April 2014 on [[HBO]] and currently premieres simulanteously on the network and [[Max (streaming service)|Max]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Michael |date=February 12, 2014 |title=John Oliver's HBO Series Gets Name, April Premiere |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-olivers-hbo-series-gets-679764 |url-status=live |access-date=March 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324102357/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-olivers-hbo-series-gets-679764 |archive-date=March 24, 2014}}</ref> ''Last Week Tonight'' shares some similarities with [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[The Daily Show]]'' (where Oliver was previously [[List of The Daily Show correspondents|featured as a correspondent]] and fill-in host), as the show takes a satirical look at news, politics and current events, but on a weekly basis.<ref name="order" /><ref name="Framke-2016" /> Oliver's initial contract with HBO was for two years with an option for extension.<ref name="freedom">{{Cite news |last=Guthrie |first=Marisa |date=April 16, 2014 |title=John Oliver on the Luxurious 'Freedom' of HBO, His Complicated Relationship With NYC |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-oliver-luxurious-freedom-hbo-696165 |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418232827/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-oliver-luxurious-freedom-hbo-696165 |archive-date=April 18, 2014}}</ref> In September 2020, HBO announced that the show had been renewed for three additional seasons of 30 episodes each, keeping the show on the air through 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thorne |first=Will |date=September 14, 2020 |title=John Oliver's 'Last Week Tonight' Renewed by HBO Through 2023 |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-renewed-three-more-seasons-2023-hbo-1234769025/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915214239/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-renewed-three-more-seasons-2023-hbo-1234769025/ |archive-date=September 15, 2020}}</ref> The show's tenth season was impacted by the [[2023 Writers Guild of America strike|Writers Guild of America strike]], with no shows airing from May through September, reducing the number of episodes for the season from the typical 30 down to 21.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldbart |first=Max |date=2023-05-02 |title=Sky UK In Talks Over Loss Of Late-Night U.S. Talk Shows Due To Writers Strike |url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/sky-late-night-talk-shows-jimmy-fallon-john-oliver-seth-meyers-bill-maher-1235353383/ |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> On December 5, 2023, HBO announced that the show had been renewed for three additional seasons, keeping the show on the air through 2026.<ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Peter|title=''Last Week Tonight With John Oliver'' Renewed For 3 Seasons At HBO, Deal Runs Through 2026|url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-renewed-hbo-2026-1235651067/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=December 5, 2023|access-date=December 5, 2023}}</ref> The show's eleventh season premiered on February 18, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Oliver Promotes 'Last Week Tonight's 2024 Premiere Taunting Disney With 'Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse|url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-premiere-disney-steamboat-willie-mickey-mouse-1235804167/|last=Tinoco|first=Armando|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=January 24, 2024|access-date=January 25, 2024}}</ref> ==Production== [[File:John Oliver November 2016.jpg|thumb|John Oliver, host of ''Last Week Tonight'']] Oliver described his preparations for the show to an interviewer for ''[[The Atlantic#The Wire|The Wire]]'': "... I basically have to watch everything. The only thing I kind of watch for pleasure is [[Fareed Zakaria GPS|Fareed Zakaria's show]] on Sundays ... That and ''[[60 Minutes]]'' I watch for pleasure, or maybe ''[[Frontline (American TV program)|Frontline]]'' ... I have a TV on in my office all the time and I'll generally flick around on that from [[CNN]], [[Fox News|Fox]], [[MSNBC]], [[Bloomberg Television|Bloomberg]], [[CNBC]], [[Al Jazeera America|Al Jazeera]] ... I'm watching with a certain thing in mind and that is how to see a story told badly."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zuckerman, Esther |date=May 1, 2014 |title=John Oliver: What I Read |url=http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/05/john-oliver-what-i-read/361405/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504083727/http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/05/john-oliver-what-i-read/361405/ |archive-date=May 4, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |website=The Wire}}</ref> He said to another interviewer that he is concerned about dealing with [[news values|old news]]: <blockquote>If something happens on a Monday, realistically all the meat is going to be picked off that bone by the time it gets to us – there's probably barely a point in doing it ... I think we'll be attracted to some extent by stories that are off the grid ... Our show may end up skewing more international in terms of stories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoxie |first=Angie |date=August 13, 2014 |title=Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Changing journalism for the better |url=http://unfetteredequality.com/2014/08/13/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-changing-journalism-for-the-better |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218055110/http://unfetteredequality.com/2014/08/13/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-changing-journalism-for-the-better/ |archive-date=February 18, 2015 |access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref></blockquote> [[Tim Carvell]], executive producer of ''Last Week Tonight'', explained in an interview how the cast and crew deal with a half hour of Oliver speaking without any [[Television advertisement|commercial]] breaks.<ref name="usnews">{{Cite web |last=Sneed, Tierney |date=April 22, 2014 |title=Why ''Last Week Tonight'' Will Not Just Be ''The Daily Show'' on Sundays |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/04/22/5-things-to-know-about-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504081746/http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/04/22/5-things-to-know-about-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver |archive-date=May 4, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |website=[[U.S. News & World Report]]}}</ref> {{blockquote|Structural considerations are leading to changes in the content in the show that will inherently make it different from ''The Daily Show'' ... We realized early on, you don't necessarily want to hear anybody talk to you for a half an hour straight – even John, who is very charming – so we are constructing these little, produced comedy elements that will serve the function of commercial breaks throughout the show, which will let us get out of the studio, get us away from John's voice and break the show up a bit.}} Carvell also revealed that HBO gave them freedom in choosing guests for the show, advising them not to feel obligated to feature celebrities.<ref name="usnews" /> When asked by an interviewer about "[[correspondent]]s" such as those featured on ''The Daily Show'', Oliver replied, "we're not going to be a parody news show, so no people pretending to be journalists."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Furlong |first=Maggie |date=April 30, 2014 |title='Last Week Tonight,' Two Days Later: John Oliver on His First Show, Dream Guests, and Old White Racists |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-news/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-interview-two-days-later-222215388.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619185957/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-news/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-interview-two-days-later-222215388.html |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |website=Yahoo!}}</ref> In early March 2020, the show went on temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2020 |title=All the Shows and Movies Shut Down or Delayed Because of Coronavirus |url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/films-tv-delayed-coronavirus-canceled-1203532033/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314234304/https://variety.com/2020/film/news/films-tv-delayed-coronavirus-canceled-1203532033/ |archive-date=March 14, 2020 |access-date=March 20, 2020 |website=Variety}}</ref> The show returned on March 29, 2020, being filmed in Oliver's home with no studio audience due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], and produced largely by virtual communication.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Late Night Hosts Are Also Working From Home – With Varying Results |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/831174892/late-night-hosts-are-also-working-from-home-with-varying-results |url-status=live |access-date=February 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927180610/https://www.npr.org/2020/04/09/831174892/late-night-hosts-are-also-working-from-home-with-varying-results |archive-date=September 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Megh |date=March 30, 2020 |title=John Oliver Says Trump Has 'F – – – – – – Stage Envy' Over Coronavirus |url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/john-oliver-coronavirus-last-week-tonight-march-29.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401011352/https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/john-oliver-coronavirus-last-week-tonight-march-29.html |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |access-date=April 13, 2020 |website=[[Vulture.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Radulovic |first=Petrana |date=March 30, 2020 |title=John Oliver returns, filming new episodes from his home |url=https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/3/30/21199504/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-return |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414025053/https://www.polygon.com/tv/2020/3/30/21199504/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-return |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |access-date=April 15, 2020 |website=Polygon}}</ref> The show remained there until it resumed filming, in a new studio, in September 2021. Oliver has stated that he has "full [[artistic freedom|creative freedom]], including free rein to [[Criticisms of corporations|criticize corporations]]", and frequently pokes fun at [[HBO]]'s (now former) parent company [[AT&T]], referring to it as the show's "business daddy".<ref>{{Citation |title=Tech Monopolies: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXf04bhcjbg |access-date=2023-06-06 |language=en}}</ref> ==Format== Unlike ''The Daily Show'', which followed recent news, Oliver tends to explore one concept in depth. The show is taped in front of a [[studio audience]], and HBO offers a limited number of free tickets to attend each week's ''Last Week Tonight'' taping.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Watch Out, America: John Oliver is Officially a U.S. Citizen Now |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/watch-america-john-oliver-is-officially-a-us-citizen-now-1273984 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129152616/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/watch-america-john-oliver-is-officially-a-us-citizen-now-1273984 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |access-date=September 21, 2020 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> The show's theme starts off every episode containing images relating to the world at large with satirical captions written in [[dog Latin]] (e.g., a photo of a [[Gun politics in the United States|gun]] labelled "''[[deus ex machina]]''", a picture of [[Vladimir Putin]] labelled "[[Links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies|''POTUS Operandi'']]", a photo of Oliver himself labelled "''[[Call Me Madam|hostus mostus]]''").<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2017 |title=What You're Missing at the Start of Every John Oliver Episode |url=https://bigthink.com/what-youre-missing-at-the-start-of-every-john-oliver-episode |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807044702/https://bigthink.com/what-youre-missing-at-the-start-of-every-john-oliver-episode |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=Big Think |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 'Last Week Tonight' Intro Images Have A Fascinating Story Behind Them |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-last-week-tonight-intro-images-have-a-fascinating-story-behind-them-45573 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202225018/https://www.bustle.com/p/the-last-week-tonight-intro-images-have-a-fascinating-story-behind-them-45573 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=Bustle |date=March 20, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> Each episode contains a small handful of shorter segments, and then one main segment. While the short segments almost always relate to recent news, the episode's main segment usually covers in length and detail a political issue, even if that issue did not have news media attention during the preceding week.<ref name="Steinberg-2014">{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Brian |date=July 2, 2014 |title=How John Oliver and HBO Shattered TV's Comedy-News Format |url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/how-john-oliver-and-hbo-shattered-tvs-comedy-news-format-1201257084/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131160050/https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/how-john-oliver-and-hbo-shattered-tvs-comedy-news-format-1201257084/ |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> On occasion, the short segments are omitted and the main segment takes up the entirety of the episode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Framke |first=Caroline |date=February 14, 2016 |title=John Oliver on making Last Week Tonight and why he won't focus on the 2016 election |url=https://www.vox.com/2016/2/14/10989154/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-season-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320052802/http://www.vox.com/2016/2/14/10989154/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-season-3 |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=March 21, 2016 |website=Vox}}</ref> Some of the episodes will follow up the main segment with another video compilation or news story. Oliver's speech is broken up with video compilations of recent news clips, or recurring segments, into which Oliver segues by saying, "And now, this."<ref name="Steinberg-2014" /> Oliver has also ended some segments with mock trailers for fictional TV shows or commercials that satirize the subject of his speech.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} Oliver injects humor into his presentation, including satirical [[analogies]], and allusions to popular culture and celebrities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGlynn |first=Katla |date=April 23, 2015 |title=11 John Oliver Quotes That Make The Truth Easier To Swallow |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-quotes_n_7121748 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203111612/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-quotes_n_7121748 |archive-date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The 9 Funniest Analogies John Oliver Has Used To Make A Really Great Point |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/192288-the-9-funniest-analogies-john-oliver-has-used-to-make-a-really-great-point |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131084119/https://www.bustle.com/articles/192288-the-9-funniest-analogies-john-oliver-has-used-to-make-a-really-great-point |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=Bustle |date=October 30, 2016 |language=en}}</ref> The show includes a panel in the upper-left corner that frequently displays a photo or graphic for that accompanies subject at hand, as a comedic aid.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andy McDonald |date=July 16, 2018 |title=John Oliver Releases Amazing Unused Graphics Created By His Staff |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-releases-amazing-unused-graphics-created-by-his-staff_n_5b4c98c3e4b022fdcc5b7f70 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617194346/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-releases-amazing-unused-graphics-created-by-his-staff_n_5b4c98c3e4b022fdcc5b7f70 |archive-date=June 17, 2019 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 25, 2016 |title=John Oliver Reveals More Lost 'Last Week Tonight' Graphics |url=https://www.thewrap.com/john-oliver-reveals-terrifyingly-funny-last-week-tonight-lost-graphics-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202130946/https://www.thewrap.com/john-oliver-reveals-terrifyingly-funny-last-week-tonight-lost-graphics-video/ |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref> A full-screen graphic will show and play a video clip (such as excerpts from news show or documentaries) when Oliver is citing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Liz Shannon |date=July 29, 2014 |title=Why 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' is The Next Generation of Late Night |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/07/why-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-is-the-next-generation-of-late-night-23696/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904015651/http://www.indiewire.com/2014/07/why-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-is-the-next-generation-of-late-night-23696/ |archive-date=September 4, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}</ref> He often coins [[hashtag]]s related to his segment for use in [[social media]], some of which go [[Viral phenomenon|viral]].<ref name="Emertainment">{{Cite web |last=Solomon |first=Emily |date=April 12, 2015 |title=How John Oliver Gets Social Media Right While the Rest of Traditional Media Fails |url=https://emertainmentmonthly.org/2015/04/12/how-john-oliver-gets-social-media-right-while-the-rest-of-traditional-media-fails/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404222905/http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/how-john-oliver-gets-social-media-right-while-the-rest-of-traditional-media-fails/ |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |access-date=June 19, 2015 |website=Emertainment Monthly}}</ref> A recurring element of the show is Oliver's use of mascots. The mascots used in the show include [[Tobacco (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)#Jeff the Diseased Lung|Jeff the Diseased Lung in a Cowboy Hat]], Hoots the NSA Owl, Taryn the Tinder Chicken, and the Last Week Tonight puppets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All the Mascot Costumes from Last Week Tonight, Ranked |url=https://www.ranker.com/list/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-mascots/ranker-tv |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031202127/https://www.ranker.com/list/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-mascots/ranker-tv |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> Oliver told Vulture in February 2019 that "[Executive producer] Tim Carvell and I – I think we've always seen the show as our attempt to make ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' and failing to do so. But occasionally, just occasionally, you get the kind of ''Muppet Show'' adoration in the ludicrous mascots."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Czajkowski |first=Elise |date=February 7, 2019 |title=John Oliver Really Just Wants ''Last Week Tonight'' to Be ''The Muppet Show'' |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-hbo-interview-mascots.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031202127/https://www.vulture.com/2019/02/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-hbo-interview-mascots.html |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=[[Vulture.com]]}}</ref> The show frequently features one or more celebrity guests in its segments to help Oliver better get his point on the week's topic across. Guests have featured in many different capacities including giving monologues directly to camera, being interviewed by Oliver, playing musical numbers, participating in comedic skits with or without Oliver, or starring in fictitious parody [[Public service announcement|PSAs]]. On the show, guests are sometimes seen in the Last Week Tonight studio itself doing their part during the show's main taping, while at other times they are seen in video clips that were pre-recorded at a different location and later included in the show. Oliver often interviews personalities who were directly involved in or impacted by the issues being discussed in the show to get their first-hand experiences and viewpoints on the issue. Some of the famous personalities Oliver has interviewed include [[Edward Snowden]], the [[14th Dalai Lama|14th]] [[Dalai Lama]], [[Anita Hill]], [[Stephen Hawking]], and [[Monica Lewinsky]]. === Purpose === While broadly within the categories of [[political satire]] and [[late-night talk show]]s, Last Week Tonight has taken a more specific approach to deeper dives into systemic issues which intend to illustrate both the wider socio-political context and the complex interconnections and [[Economic sociology|embeddedness]] of public policies in social outcomes. === International broadcasting === {{Update|section|date=March 2024|reason=are all these broadcasting arrangements still in place?}} ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' episode clips can be seen internationally on [[YouTube]]. It is broadcast on [[Pay television|premium]] channel [[HBO Canada]] that is [[simulcast]] with HBO in the U.S.; around the same time it is shown on the international [[HBO (international)|HBO]] channels.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} It airs in Australia on the [[Foxtel]] channel [[Fox8|FOX8]] and the streaming service [[Binge (streaming service)|Binge]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Knox |first=David |date=6 February 2024 |title=Returning: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/02/returning-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315013626/https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/02/returning-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-5.html |archive-date=15 March 2024 |access-date=June 2, 2014 |work=[[TV Tonight]]}}</ref> and airs in New Zealand on [[SoHo (TV channel)|SoHo]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2015 |title=Last Week Tonight with John Oliver coming to SoHo |url=http://dannews.co.nz/2015/01/28/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-coming-to-soho/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813114138/http://dannews.co.nz/2015/01/28/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-coming-to-soho/ |archive-date=August 13, 2015 |access-date=August 13, 2015 |publisher=Dan News}}</ref> In the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is broadcast on Mondays on [[Sky Comedy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Last Week Tonight With John Oliver |url=https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/b7a772c4-8fdb-4e28-be16-66141b9b34d6/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315022716/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fwatch%2Ftitle%2Fseries%2Fb7a772c4-8fdb-4e28-be16-66141b9b34d6 |archive-date=15 March 2024 |access-date=February 20, 2020 |publisher=[[Sky UK|Sky]]}}</ref> In Belgium, it is broadcast on Thursdays by the [[Telenet (Belgium)|Telenet]] cable-only channel [[Prime (Flanders)|PRIME Series]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Last Week Tonight With John Oliver S2 |url=http://www.prime.be/series/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-2 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150221095413/http://www.prime.be/series/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-2 |archive-date=February 21, 2015 |access-date=February 21, 2015 |publisher=Telenet/PRIME}}</ref> It airs in South Africa on [[M-Net]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ferreira |first=Thinus |date=April 30, 2014 |title=M-Net adds exciting new late night talk show to its schedule |url=http://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/M-Net-adds-exciting-new-late-night-talk-show-to-its-schedule-20140430 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930202818/http://www.channel24.co.za/TV/News/M-Net-adds-exciting-new-late-night-talk-show-to-its-schedule-20140430 |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |access-date=September 9, 2015 |publisher=channel24.co.za}}</ref> and in Portugal on [[RTP3]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ferreira |first=David |date=September 29, 2015 |title=Conheça a programação da nova RTP3 (com vídeo) |language=pt |publisher=A Televisão |url=http://www.atelevisao.com/cabo/conheca-a-programacao-da-nova-rtp3/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930130307/http://www.atelevisao.com/cabo/conheca-a-programacao-da-nova-rtp3/ |archive-date=September 30, 2015}}</ref> In India, the show is streamed on [[Disney+ Hotstar]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Last Week Tonight with John Oliver TV Series Full Episodes, Watch Last Week Tonight with John Oliver TV Show Online |url=https://www.hotstar.com/tv/last-week-tonight/s-585 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118164539/https://www.hotstar.com/tv/last-week-tonight/s-585 |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |access-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref> before it was relocated to [[JioCinema]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ramachandran |first1=Naman |last2=Frater |first2=Patrick |date=2023-05-15 |title=India's JioCinema Premium Launches $12 Annual Plan for Warner Bros. Discovery Content |url=https://variety.com/2023/global/asia/jiocinema-premium-annual-pricing-plan-warner-bros-discovery-content-1235612547/ |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> In Greece, the show airs on [[Cosmote TV]]'s Cosmote Series HD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cosmote TV |url=https://www.cosmote.gr/cosmotetv/residential/program/epg/closeupepg?p_p_id=epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_col_id=column-5&p_p_col_count=1&_epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet_articleId=92740644&_epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet_redirect=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.cosmote.gr%252Fportal%252Fresidential%252Fprogram%252Fepg%252Fprogramchannel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128060419/https://www.cosmote.gr/cosmotetv/residential/program/epg/closeupepg?p_p_id=epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_col_id=column-5&p_p_col_count=1&_epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet_articleId=92740644&_epgcloseup_WAR_OTETVportlet_redirect=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.cosmote.gr%252Fportal%252Fresidential%252Fprogram%252Fepg%252Fprogramchannel |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2020 |website=www.cosmote.gr}}</ref> === Social media === Oliver often makes use of joke [[hashtags]] to facilitate the [[viral spread]] of his videos on [[Twitter]] and [[Facebook]], as with the hashtag #NotMyChristian, which he used in 2014 to complain about the casting of actor [[Jamie Dornan]] as Christian Grey in the feature film adaptation of ''[[Fifty Shades of Grey (film)|Fifty Shades of Grey]]''. The hashtag became a recurring punchline on the show, mentioned in both serious stories and casual segues.<ref name="Emertainment" /> ===YouTube channel=== ''Last Week Tonight'' has a [[YouTube]] channel where videos are intermittently (depending on series) added after a show has aired.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Last Week Tonight channel |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313183030/https://www.youtube.com/user/LastWeekTonight |archive-date=March 13, 2017 |access-date=March 13, 2017 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Most of the videos are of the main segment from each episode, usually posted on Mondays which follow the original Sunday airings on [[HBO]]. Some extended clips are also available on the show's YouTube channel, as are "Web Exclusives" that are produced solely for the channel, such as a July 2016 video in which Oliver responded to negative comments left on the channel itself.<ref name="Emertainment" /><ref name="Framke-2016">{{Cite web |last=Framke |first=Caroline |date=November 20, 2016 |title=John Oliver ends 2016 by confronting Last Week Tonight's role in the liberal echo chamber |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/20/13678748/john-oliver-election-2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163235/https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/20/13678748/john-oliver-election-2016 |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=June 19, 2018 |website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rhodan |first=Maya |date=July 11, 2016 |title=Watch John Oliver Read Mean 'Fan Mail' from YouTube |url=http://time.com/4401025/watch-john-oliver-read-mean-fan-mail-from-youtube/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501084644/http://time.com/4401025/watch-john-oliver-read-mean-fan-mail-from-youtube/ |archive-date=May 1, 2018 |access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> On February 19, 2024 (after the airing of the first episode of [[List of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episodes#Season 11 (2024)|season 11)]], Oliver announced that the main segments of new episodes would only be posted on the show's YouTube channel 4 days after the original Sunday airings, usually on Thursdays.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2024-02-19 |title=HBO Delays Posting 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' Clips to YouTube in Hopes of Signing Up More Max Subscribers |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-youtube-delay-hbo-max-1235916416/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Six days later, on February 25, the show announced that it is uploading full episodes of the show on the same Youtube channel for free, in countries and territories where the show does not have exclusive broadcast rights from local broadcasters. The channel publishes the full episodes hours after broadcast since season 11, but it will also upload past full episode archives from the previous ten seasons, also to the same areas mentioned.<ref>{{Citation |title=Good News! Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |date=2024-02-25 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbzW9qcVBJ0 |access-date=2024-02-26 |language=en}}</ref> These changes do not affect its availability on Max. A YouTube video of a segment on the show [[Campaigning in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|supporting the UK remaining in the EU]] was found to be the single most shared video clip on Twitter during the run-up to the [[2016 EU membership referendum]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hänska |first1=Max |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/84614/1/Hanska-Ahy__tweeting-for-brexit.pdf |title=Brexit, Trump and the Media |last2=Bauchowitz |first2=Stefan |date=2017 |publisher=Arima Publishing |isbn=9781845497095 |editor-last=Clark |editor-first=Tor |page=30 |chapter=Tweeting for Brexit: how social media influenced the referendum |access-date=June 24, 2021 |editor-last2=Mair |editor-first2=John |editor-last3=Fowler |editor-first3=Neil |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521235809/http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/84614/1/Hanska-Ahy__tweeting-for-brexit.pdf |archive-date=May 21, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Real Animals, Fake Paws Footage - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).webm|thumb|thumbtime=9|"Real Animals, Fake Paws"]] The show's production has also created content specifically for fan use. For the March 19, 2017, episode, which reported on Bolivia's growing coalition of workers clad in zebra suits to educate civilians about traffic laws, the show's production recorded 23 minutes of a person in a zebra costume dancing and gesticulating before a green screen so that viewers could edit it into other videos for humorous effect.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=Laura |date=March 20, 2017 |title=John Oliver Slams Trump's Budget, Lightens Mood with Dancing Zebras |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/john-oliver-donald-trump-budget-proposal-dancing-zebras |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608152244/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/john-oliver-donald-trump-budget-proposal-dancing-zebras |archive-date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=June 19, 2018 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref> A similar video called "Real Animals, Fake Paws" for use in reenacting [[U.S. Supreme Court]] cases was released after the October 19, 2014, episode where dogs were used instead of justices to make listening to oral court cases more amusing to the general public and to increase interest in the subject.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LastWeekTonight |date=October 19, 2014 |title=Real Animals, Fake Paws Footage: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=tug71xZL7yc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620155905/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tug71xZL7yc |archive-date=June 20, 2017 |access-date=June 20, 2017 |via=YouTube}}</ref> By April 2015, the channel had attained over a million subscribers.<ref name="Emertainment" /> That number had risen to 3.6 million by July 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Durkin |first=J.D. |date=July 11, 2016 |title=Oliver Responds to Harsh YouTube Comments in Newest Last Week Tonight Segment |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/oliver-responds-to-harsh-youtube-comments-in-newest-last-week-tonight-segment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163915/https://www.mediaite.com/online/oliver-responds-to-harsh-youtube-comments-in-newest-last-week-tonight-segment/ |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=June 19, 2018 |website=Mediaite}}</ref> and over 5 million by May 2017. {{As of|2023|January|df=US}}, the channel has over 9 million subscribers and more than 3.5 billion views.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LastWeekTonight's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) – Social Blade Stats |url=https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/lastweektonight |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114100257/https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/lastweektonight |archive-date=November 14, 2021 |access-date=November 14, 2021 |website=socialblade.com}}</ref> ==Episodes== {{main|List of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episodes}} {{:List of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episodes}} ==Reception== ===Audience viewership=== Oliver's debut show garnered 1.11 million viewers. The number of viewers online, through websites such as YouTube showing extended clips of different segments, have steadily climbed into multiple millions. The show's YouTube channel also features Web Exclusives which are occasionally posted when the main show is taking a week off. Across the TV airings, [[Digital video recorder|DVR]], [[Video on demand|on-demand]] and [[HBO Go]], ''Last Week Tonight'' averaged 4.1 million weekly viewers in its first season.<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Connell |first=Michael |date=September 9, 2014 |title=John Oliver's Talk Show Ratings Edging Out HBO Colleague Bill Maher |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-olivers-talk-show-ratings-735187 |url-status=live |access-date=December 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217013001/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-olivers-talk-show-ratings-735187 |archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref> ===Critical response=== ''Last Week Tonight'' has received widespread critical acclaim. Matthew Jacobs of ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' named Oliver's program as 2014's best television show, writing "the year's most surprising contribution to television is a show that bucked conventional formats, left us buzzing and paved the way for a burgeoning dynasty. ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' is 2014's crowning achievement."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Matthew |date=December 8, 2014 |title=Why 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' Was 2014's Best Show |work=The Huffington Post |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-best-show-2014_n_6284074.html |url-status=live |access-date=December 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209032042/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-best-show-2014_n_6284074.html |archive-date=December 9, 2014}}</ref> [[Hank Stuever]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' compared Oliver's program with ''The Daily Show'' several times in his review of Oliver's debut: <blockquote>Another scathing, stick-it-to-'em critique of American [[mass media]] and politics shellacked in satire and delivered by a funny if almost off-puttingly incredulous man with a British accent ... Exactly like ''The Daily Show'', the goal is to make elected and appointed officials, as well as just about any corporate enterprise, look foolish and inept while slyly culling together television news clips that make the media look equally inept at covering such evident truths.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stuever |first=Hank |date=April 28, 2014 |title=John Oliver's 'Last Week Tonight' on HBO sticks to a familiar formula |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2014/04/28/john-olivers-last-week-tonight-on-hbo-sticks-to-a-familiar-formula/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508221812/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2014/04/28/john-olivers-last-week-tonight-on-hbo-sticks-to-a-familiar-formula/ |archive-date=May 8, 2015}}</ref></blockquote> [[James Poniewozik]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' similarly compared ''Last Week'' with ''The Daily Show'', but also wrote that the "full half-hour gives Oliver the room to do more," and praised Oliver's "sharper tone and his globalist, English-outsider perspective," as well as his "genuine passion over his subjects." Poniewozik wrote that Oliver's debut was "a funny, confident start."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Poniewozik, James |date=April 28, 2014 |title=REVIEW: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver |url=http://time.com/79133/john-oliver-review-last-week/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503214147/http://time.com/79133/john-oliver-review-last-week/ |archive-date=May 3, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref> The ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' review began by ringing the same changes: "The fear with ''Last Week Tonight'' is that it's ''The Daily Show'' except once a week – a staggered timeline that would rob the basic news-punning format of its intrinsic topical punch ... The first episode of his HBO series didn't stray far from the [[Jon Stewart|[Jon] Stewart]] mothership, stylistically ..." However, the reviewer, Darren Franich, liked that Oliver has "a half-hour of television that is simultaneously tighter and more ambitious, that the extra production time leads to sharper gags but also the ability to present more context" and thought that the debut had "plenty of funny throwaway lines." Franich appreciated Oliver's coverage of [[2014 Indian general election|the 2014 Indian election]], which the American press was largely ignoring,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ayres |first=Alyssa |date=May 1, 2014 |title=Thanks, John Oliver! Why India Isn't a Big Focus for U.S. Television |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alyssaayres/2014/05/01/thanks-john-oliver-why-india-isnt-a-big-focus-for-u-s-television/ |url-status=live |access-date=May 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504055011/http://www.forbes.com/sites/alyssaayres/2014/05/01/thanks-john-oliver-why-india-isnt-a-big-focus-for-u-s-television/ |archive-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref> and, like Poniewozik, praised Oliver's "passion." Franich concluded that ''Last Week Tonight'' "suggested the sharpest possible version of its inspiration" and that it "should feel like an experiment" but "felt almost fully formed."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Franich |first=Darren |date=April 28, 2014 |title='Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' review: The Weekly Show |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/04/28/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503045808/http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/04/28/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-review/ |archive-date=May 3, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> David Haglund of ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' was ambivalent, writing that the show is "obviously a work in progress" and that one segment "felt like misplaced overkill," but also that it is "good use of a weekly show, and it was funny to boot."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haglund |first=David |date=April 2014 |title=Last Week Tonight: Like The Daily Show, With Unbleeped Swears! |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2014/04/the_premiere_of_john_oliver_s_hbo_show_last_week_tonight_reviewed.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504203605/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2014/04/the_premiere_of_john_oliver_s_hbo_show_last_week_tonight_reviewed.html |archive-date=May 4, 2014 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |website=Slate}}</ref> [[Gawker]]'s Jordan Sargent claimed ''Last Week Tonight'' was "the new ''Daily Show'',"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sargent, Jordan |date=May 6, 2014 |title=John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is the New Daily Show |url=http://defamer.gawker.com/john-olivers-last-week-tonight-is-the-new-daily-show-1572116205/all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140507030451/http://defamer.gawker.com/john-olivers-last-week-tonight-is-the-new-daily-show-1572116205/all |archive-date=May 7, 2014 |access-date=May 6, 2014 |publisher=Gawker}}</ref> while simultaneously criticizing the ''Daily Show'' for abandoning those "who have moved on from caring about [[Fox News|Fox [News]]] and [[Republican Party of the United States|Republicans]]." By the series' fourth season, some commentators ''[[Haaretz]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |author=Adrian Hennigan |date=August 12, 2018 |title=Why I Stopped Watching 'Last Week Tonight' |newspaper=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2018-08-12/ty-article/.premium/why-i-stopped-watching-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver/0000017f-ee1d-d4cd-af7f-ef7d2c7f0000}}</ref> indicated that show has become increasingly focused on then-president President Donald Trump, noting the "show had exhausted itself and its supply of jokes about the president", becoming repetitively focused on Trump's scandal-ridden presidency to a somewhat tiresome degree. A number of commentators from mainstream media outlets, including ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carr |first=David |date=November 16, 2014 |title=John Oliver's Complicated Fun Connects for HBO |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/business/media/john-olivers-complicated-fun-connects-for-hbo.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501135440/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/business/media/john-olivers-complicated-fun-connects-for-hbo.html |archive-date=May 1, 2015}}</ref> ''The Huffington Post'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bauder |first=David |date=September 26, 2014 |title=John Oliver Is Doing Some Really Good Investigative Journalism |work=The Huffington Post |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/john-oliver-journalism_n_5888184.html |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814125641/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/john-oliver-journalism_n_5888184.html |archive-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'',<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Poniewozik |first=James |date=November 17, 2014 |title=Unfortunately, John Oliver, You Are a Journalist |url=http://time.com/3589285/unfortunately-john-oliver-you-are-a-journalist/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725193947/http://time.com/3589285/unfortunately-john-oliver-you-are-a-journalist/ |archive-date=July 25, 2015 |access-date=April 30, 2015}}</ref> and [[Associated Press]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bauder |first=David |date=September 25, 2014 |title=With journalism in quiver, John Oliver transcends his schtick |url=http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/with-journalism-in-quiver-john-oliver-transcends-his-schtick-1.1760408 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614075700/http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/with-journalism-in-quiver-john-oliver-transcends-his-schtick-1.1760408 |archive-date=June 14, 2015 |access-date=April 30, 2015 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> have described Oliver's style of reporting as journalism or even investigative journalism. Oliver himself disagrees, stating that "it's not journalism, it's comedy{{snd}}it's comedy first, and it's comedy second."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Suebsaeng |first=Asawin |date=September 29, 2014 |title='Last Week Tonight' Does Real Journalism, No Matter What John Oliver Says |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/last-week-tonight-does-real-journalism-no-matter-what-john-oliver-says |url-status=live |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602195007/http://www.thedailybeast.com/last-week-tonight-does-real-journalism-no-matter-what-john-oliver-says |archive-date=June 2, 2017}}</ref> ===Accolades=== {{main|List of awards and nominations received by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver}} {{:List of awards and nominations received by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver}} == Reaction and influence == According to a document obtained by ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'', the military government of [[Thailand]] listed Oliver as "[[Lèse majesté in Thailand|undermining the royal institution]]" for calling Crown Prince [[Vajiralongkorn]] a "buffoon" and an "idiot."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Marshall |first=Andrew |date=July 24, 2014 |title=Thailand's Military Government Thinks John Oliver Is a Threat to Its Monarchy |publisher=Vice |url=https://news.vice.com/article/thailands-military-government-thinks-john-oliver-is-a-threat-to-its-monarchy |url-status=live |access-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163841/https://news.vice.com/article/thailands-military-government-thinks-john-oliver-is-a-threat-to-its-monarchy |archive-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodal |first=Kate |date=July 29, 2014 |title=Thai junta unamused by comedian John Oliver's royal jibes |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jul/29/thai-junta-comedian-john-oliver-royal-jibes |work=The Guardian |language=en-US |url-status=live |access-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163837/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jul/29/thai-junta-comedian-john-oliver-royal-jibes |archive-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> During the June 17, 2018, episode, Oliver spoke at length about [[Xi Jinping]], [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party]], in part criticizing his [[Censorship in China|censorship]] of Chinese media, his dictatorship<ref>{{Cite news |title=Media Censorship in China |language=en |work=Council on Foreign Relations |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/media-censorship-china |url-status=live |access-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330080256/https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/media-censorship-china |archive-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> and consolidation of power.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why now? The rationale behind Xi Jinping's power consolidation |language=en |work=South China Morning Post |url=http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135962/why-now-rationale-behind-xi-jinpings-power-consolidation |url-status=live |access-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624040136/http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2135962/why-now-rationale-behind-xi-jinpings-power-consolidation |archive-date=June 24, 2018}}</ref> Both "John Oliver" and "Last Week Tonight" were blocked from Chinese social media platform [[Sina Weibo]] immediately following the segment.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 21, 2018 |title=Chinese social media censors John Oliver |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-44557528 |url-status=live |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |access-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622134355/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-44557528 |archive-date=June 22, 2018}}</ref> The [[HBO]] website and content from the network were also blocked,<ref>{{Cite news |title=China blocks HBO after John Oliver mockery of Xi Jinping |language=en |work=South China Morning Post |url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2152323/china-blocks-hbo-after-john-oliver-parody-xi-jinping |url-status=live |access-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185611/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2152323/china-blocks-hbo-after-john-oliver-parody-xi-jinping |archive-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> although ''Last Week Tonight'' had already been excluded from [[HBO (Asia)|HBO Asia]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=May |first1=Tiffany |last2=Ryan |first2=Olivia Mitchell |date=June 25, 2018 |title=China Blocks HBO Website After John Oliver's Jokes About Xi Jinping |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/world/asia/china-hbo-john-oliver-xi-jinping.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625130936/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/world/asia/china-hbo-john-oliver-xi-jinping.html |archive-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> === The John Oliver Effect === {{Main|John Oliver#Legacy}} On several occasions, show segments on major societal issues, such as the "Chickens" or "Bail" segments, were soon followed by real-world change and action on said issues by the public, policymakers and/or other institutions. Several media outlets, noticing this pattern, suggested that attention from the show had instigated these changes, going so far as to dub the phenomenon the "John Oliver Effect".<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=How the 'John Oliver Effect' Is Having a Real-Life Impact |url=https://time.com/3674807/john-oliver-net-neutrality-civil-forfeiture-miss-america/ |url-status=live |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217001842/https://time.com/3674807/john-oliver-net-neutrality-civil-forfeiture-miss-america/ |archive-date=December 17, 2019 |access-date=January 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The John Oliver Effect |url=https://fortune.com/2015/09/29/john-oliver-impact/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013174959/https://fortune.com/2015/09/29/john-oliver-impact/ |archive-date=October 13, 2020 |access-date=January 6, 2020 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref> A [[Net Neutrality (Last Week Tonight)#"Net Neutrality"|June 2014 segment]] about [[net neutrality in the United States]] was thought to spur over 45,000 comments on the [[Federal Communications Commission]]'s electronic filing page about a net neutrality proposal that, if implemented, would have priority "lanes" for certain internet traffic. The FCC also received an extra 300,000 comments in an email inbox designated specifically for the proposal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hu |first=Elise |date=June 3, 2014 |title=John Oliver Helps Rally 45,000 Net Neutrality Comments To FCC |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/06/03/318458496/john-oliver-helps-rally-45-000-net-neutrality-comments-to-fcc |url-status=live |access-date=September 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624041323/http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/06/03/318458496/john-oliver-helps-rally-45-000-net-neutrality-comments-to-fcc |archive-date=June 24, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Holpuch |first=Amanda |date=June 3, 2014 |title=John Oliver's cheeky net neutrality plea crashes FCC website |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/03/john-oliver-fcc-website-net-neutrality |url-status=live |access-date=January 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120212616/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/03/john-oliver-fcc-website-net-neutrality |archive-date=November 20, 2019 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It was thought that Oliver's segment had a major role in the FCC's ultimate reversal of stance on that proposal,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bruinius |first=Harry |date=February 26, 2015 |title=Net neutrality's stunning reversal of fortune: Is it John Oliver's doing? |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0226/Net-neutrality-s-stunning-reversal-of-fortune-Is-it-John-Oliver-s-doing |url-status=live |work=Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729 |language=en-US |access-date=September 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922102025/https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/0226/Net-neutrality-s-stunning-reversal-of-fortune-Is-it-John-Oliver-s-doing |archive-date=September 22, 2017}}</ref> with the FCC instead implementing net-neutrality rules that prohibited priority "lanes".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Jeff |date=March 12, 2015 |title=What the Net Neutrality Rules Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/12/technology/net-neutrality-rules-explained.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=March 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313080607/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/12/technology/net-neutrality-rules-explained.html |archive-date=March 13, 2015}}</ref> A sequel in 2017 inspired over 150,000 comments on a subsequent proposal to scrap the new net neutrality rules.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Snider |first1=Mike |last2=Weise |first2=Elizabeth |date=May 10, 2017 |title=John Oliver may have helped spur 150,000 comments to FCC on Net neutrality |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/05/09/john-oliver-may-have-helped-spur-150000-comments-fcc-net-neutrality/101480100/ |url-status=live |work=USA Today |language=en-US |access-date=September 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922101510/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/05/09/john-oliver-may-have-helped-spur-150000-comments-fcc-net-neutrality/101480100/ |archive-date=September 22, 2017}}</ref> In a segment about [[public defender]]s and how some offices are extremely underfunded, the New Orleans Public Defense office's crowdfunding efforts to improve their conditions were featured. In the days following the episode's broadcast, thousands of dollars were donated to the office by the show's fans, helping them reach their goal four days after the show aired.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orleans Public Defenders crowd-funding |url=http://opdla.causevox.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917061217/http://opdla.causevox.com/ |archive-date=September 17, 2015 |website=Orlean Public Defenders |language=en-US |access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> Oliver himself does not believe the effect to be real and has openly ridiculed the idea on the show, even calling the term "completely meaningless".<ref>{{Citation |author=LastWeekTonight |date=June 13, 2016 |title=Retirement Plans: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvZSpET11ZY%3Ft%3D230 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410095032/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=gvZSpET11ZY%3Ft%3D230 |website=YouTube |language=en-US |access-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> === Tobacco === {{Main|Tobacco (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)}} "Tobacco" is a segment about the tobacco industry, which aired on February 15, 2015, as part of the second episode of the second season. During the eighteen-minute segment, Oliver discusses tobacco industry trends and practices. He also introduces Jeff the Diseased Lung, a mascot he created for the American global cigarette and tobacco company [[Philip Morris International]], the makers of [[Marlboro (cigarette)|Marlboro]] brand of cigarettes. The anthropomorphic diseased lung, who smokes and coughs, has been compared to Joe Camel and the [[Marlboro Man]]. Oliver and his team promoted the cartoon character by sending shirts with Jeff's image to [[Togo]] and displaying billboards in [[Uruguay]], and by encouraging use of the hashtag #JeffWeCan, which trended on Twitter following the broadcast. The segment received widespread media coverage, with several outlets praising Oliver's ability to launch successful marketing campaigns and change perceptions about smoking through the creation of the mascot. The mascot later made an appearance at a protest organized by the "Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids" in New York City in May 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Samantha |date=May 6, 2015 |title=John Oliver's 'Jeff The Diseased Lung' Hits Times Square For Anti-Smoking Awareness Flash Mob |language=en |work=Medical Daily |url=https://www.medicaldaily.com/john-olivers-jeff-diseased-lung-hits-times-square-anti-smoking-awareness-flash-mob-332252 |url-status=live |access-date=September 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915181858/http://www.medicaldaily.com/john-olivers-jeff-diseased-lung-hits-times-square-anti-smoking-awareness-flash-mob-332252 |archive-date=September 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Olmstead |first=Erica |date=May 22, 2015 |title=Youth advocates head to New York City to #StopMarlboro – Kick Butts Day |url=https://www.kickbuttsday.org/index.php/updates/detail/2015_05_22_nyc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163701/https://www.kickbuttsday.org/index.php/updates/detail/2015_05_22_nyc |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=September 3, 2017 |website=Kick Butts Day}}</ref> Philip Morris International issued a response to the segment, stating that it included "many mischaracterizations" of the company.<ref name="Parker">{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Ryan |date=February 16, 2015 |title=John Oliver targets cigarettes on 'Last Week Tonight'; Philip Morris reacts |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-philip-morris-john-oliver-20150216-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122195954/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-philip-morris-john-oliver-20150216-story.html |archive-date=November 22, 2015}}</ref> === Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption === {{Main|Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption}} In August 2015, Oliver hired a professional tax lawyer for his "Televangelists" segment to set up a church called [[Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption]] as a legal entity. He did this partly as a way to demonstrate how "disturbingly easy" it is, in terms of paperwork, to set up a [[Tax exemption|tax-exempt]] religious organization as viewed by the [[Internal Revenue Service]]. As Oliver explained, the requirements needed to be defined as a "church" are quite broad. Since regulatory guidelines require an established location for a church, Oliver chose his studio location in New York City as its official location,<ref name="Mediaite">{{Cite web |last=Wilstein |first=Matt |date=August 17, 2015 |title=John Oliver One-Ups Colbert Super PAC by Creating His Own Tax-Exempt Church |url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-oliver-one-ups-colbert-super-pac-by-creating-his-own-tax-exempt-church/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825011710/http://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-oliver-one-ups-colbert-super-pac-by-creating-his-own-tax-exempt-church/ |archive-date=August 25, 2015 |access-date=August 26, 2015 |website=Mediaite |quote="... This is real," John Oliver repeatedly told his Last Week Tonight audience last night after announcing the creation of his new megachurch, Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption ..."}}</ref> although he registered the [[nonprofit organization]] in the state of [[Texas]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pellot |first=Brian |date=August 18, 2015 |title='Megareverend' John Oliver trolls televangelists with new tax-exempt church |url=https://religionnews.com/2015/08/18/john-oliver-hbo-last-week-tonight-televangelists-church-irs-creflo-dollar-tilton-copeland/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819025650/http://www.religionnews.com/2015/08/18/john-oliver-hbo-last-week-tonight-televangelists-church-irs-creflo-dollar-tilton-copeland/ |archive-date=August 19, 2015 |website=Religion News Service |access-date=August 26, 2015 |quote="... Oliver registered his church as a nonprofit corporation in Texas, named his New York studio as its "established place of worship,"..."}}</ref> Oliver's "megachurch" had a [[Toll-free telephone number|toll-free phone number]] which allowed callers to donate to the church, and said that any money collected would be redistributed to the charitable relief organization [[Doctors Without Borders]].<ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Nate |date=August 17, 2015 |title=John Oliver takes on televangelism on 'Last Week Tonight' |work=[[USA Today]] |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/john-oliver-takes-on-televangelism-on-last-week-tonight |url-status=live |access-date=August 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822104843/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/john-oliver-takes-on-televangelism-on-last-week-tonight |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |quote=... You can donate to the church, too. (Though eventually, all the donations will be moved to Doctors Without Borders.) ...}}</ref><ref name="Pedestrian">{{Cite web |last=Bracken |first=Claire |date=August 17, 2015 |title=John Oliver launches his very own anti-Evangelist church |url=https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/john-oliver-launches-his-very-own-anti-evangelist-church/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904194105/https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/john-oliver-launches-his-very-own-anti-evangelist-church/ |archive-date=September 4, 2017 |access-date=August 26, 2015 |website=Pedestrian News |quote="... John Oliver ran a segment on "church's who exploit people's faith for monetary gain" and explored the ease at which these can be created in America ..."}}</ref> Oliver announced the formation of his church on the episode of the show that aired on August 16, 2015.<ref name="TimeMag">{{Cite magazine |last=Locker |first=Melissa |date=August 17, 2015 |title=John Oliver Becomes a Televangelist and Finally Starts His Own Church |url=http://time.com/3999933/john-oliver-televangelist-church-alst-week-tonight/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824174155/http://time.com/3999933/john-oliver-televangelist-church-alst-week-tonight/ |archive-date=August 24, 2015 |magazine=Time |access-date=August 26, 2015 |quote=... The satirical aim of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption will be to collect copious, tax-exempt donations ...}}</ref> Matt Wilstein, writing for ''[[Mediaite]]'', saw Oliver's stunt as being along the same lines as comedian [[Stephen Colbert]]'s setting up of a [[501(c)(4)]] organization{{snd}}[[Colbert Super PAC]]{{snd}}as a way to "test the absurd limits of the Supreme Court's [[Citizens United v. FEC|Citizens United decision]]"; Oliver's megachurch, in contrast, is a way to test whether the IRS might view his "megachurch" as a tax-exempt organization.<ref name="Mediaite" /> Steve Thorngate, writing in ''[[The Christian Century]]'', suggested that the question of the religious exemption from taxation was more difficult and nuanced than Oliver portrayed, and not a simple matter of government regulation, describing Oliver's pivot to IRS policy as "unhelpful." However, Thorngate agreed that Oliver's exposure and criticism of "manipulative sleazeballs" who "fleece the faithful" is "spot-on".<ref name="ChristianCentury">{{Cite web |last=Thorngate |first=Steve |date=August 17, 2015 |title=Why is John Oliver's televangelism segment about the IRS? |url=https://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2015-08/why-john-olivers-televangelism-segment-about-irs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820000830/http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2015-08/why-john-olivers-televangelism-segment-about-irs |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |access-date=August 26, 2015 |website=The Christian Century |quote="... Oliver's scornful outrage: televangelists who fleece the faithful ... The question of religious tax exemption generally is more complicated. ..."}}</ref> Leonardo Blair, writing for ''[[Christian Post]]'', described Oliver's segment as a "brutal takedown" of televangelists and churches which preach "the [[prosperity theology|prosperity gospel]]," a message that dupes people into thinking that cash donations will solve medical or financial problems, while in fact the donations go to the personal aggrandizement of televangelists who buy expensive jets or large mansions.<ref name="ChristianPost">{{Cite web |last=Leonardo |first=Blair |date=August 17, 2015 |title=Comedian John Oliver Lampoons Televangelists on 'Last Week Tonight' Show; Opens Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption Church |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/comedian-john-oliver-lampoons-televangelists-on-last-week-tonight-show-opens-our-lady-of-perpetual-exemption-church-143003/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823142157/http://www.christianpost.com/news/comedian-john-oliver-lampoons-televangelists-on-last-week-tonight-show-opens-our-lady-of-perpetual-exemption-church-143003/ |archive-date=August 23, 2015 |website=The Christian Post |access-date=August 26, 2015 |quote=... From Creflo Dollar to Kenneth Copeland, late night comedian John Oliver delivered a brutal takedown. ...}}</ref> A week later, on the following episode, Oliver devoted a short segment to the donations the church had received, which included money from around the world. Oliver said he had received "thousands of envelopes with thousands of dollars" from donors. Displayed were several US Post Office containers full of mail. Oliver told viewers that the more money they sent in, the more "blessings" would be returned to them, adding that "that is still something I'm{{snd}}amazingly{{snd}}legally allowed to say."<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 24, 2015 |title=John Oliver Televangelist Church Received "Thousands of Dollars," Seeds and Beef Jerky |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-oliver-televangelist-church-received-817058 |url-status=live |access-date=August 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826221454/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-oliver-televangelist-church-received-817058 |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |quote=... We have received thousands of envelopes with thousands of dollars ...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=John Oliver – Our lady of perpetual exemption |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcPeBAYYuhc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020012728/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JcPeBAYYuhc |archive-date=October 20, 2022 |website=YouTube |date=April 7, 2016 |access-date=November 17, 2022 }}</ref> Oliver announced that the Church would be shutting down during his show on September 13, 2015. All monetary donations have been forwarded to Doctors Without Borders.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2015 |title=Closed. Praise Be Unto You |url=http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827212918/http://www.ourladyofperpetualexemption.com/ |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |website=Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption |access-date=September 13, 2015}}</ref> === Donald Trump === {{Main|Donald Trump (Last Week Tonight)|Last Week Tonight segments about Donald Trump}} [[Donald Trump (Last Week Tonight)|"Donald Trump"]] is a segment discussing American businessman Donald Trump. It aired on February 28, 2016, as part of the third episode of the third season. During the 22-minute segment, Oliver discusses [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Trump's 2016 presidential campaign]] and his long career in business. He also reveals that the Trump family name was changed at one point from the ancestral name 'Drumpf'. Although the changing of names was once a common [[Anglicisation of names|practice]] among many non-English immigrants to the United States, the segment popularized the term "Donald Drumpf" and started a campaign urging viewers to "Make Donald Drumpf Again," a play on Trump's own campaign slogan, "[[Make America Great Again]]." The segment garnered more than 85 million views on Facebook and YouTube combined which, an HBO spokesman has said, "is a record for any piece of HBO content."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=March 30, 2016 |title=Even John Oliver enjoys a Drumpf bump |url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/30/media/john-oliver-donald-trump/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331201056/http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/30/media/john-oliver-donald-trump/index.html |archive-date=March 31, 2016 |access-date=June 19, 2018 |website=CNNMoney}}</ref> Throughout the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]] and following [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|Trump's inauguration]], Oliver made [[Last Week Tonight segments about Donald Trump|additional segments regarding Trump]]. === Debt buyers === "Debt Buyers" is a segment discussing the business and questionable practice of [[debt buyers]]. It aired on June 5, 2016, as part of the fourteenth episode of the third season. Oliver announced he had purchased nearly $15 million in [[medical debt]] that belonged to 9,000 debtors. He did this through a company he had created, called "Central Asset Recovery Professionals Inc." (CARP), which he described as being "for [[Carp|the bottom-feeding fish]]." Oliver stated that it was "pretty clear by now [that] debt buying is a grimy business, and badly needs more oversight" and went to point out that starting such a business was "disturbingly easy."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lawler |first=Kelly |date=June 6, 2016 |title=John Oliver buys and forgives $15 million of debt |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/06/06/john-oliver-buys-and-forgives-15-million-of-debt-last-week-tonight/85488616/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606180535/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/06/06/john-oliver-buys-and-forgives-15-million-of-debt-last-week-tonight/85488616/ |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |website=USA Today |language=en-US |access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref> It cost him $50 to register the business in [[Mississippi]], while it cost less than $60,000 to purchase almost $15 million in [[bad debt]], medical debt from Texas. Oliver forgave the debt in its entirety, and claimed that it was the largest single giveaway in the American television history, eclipsing that of [[General Motors]] on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' in 2004 where it gifted cars to Winfrey's studio audience, worth an estimated $8 million in total.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phippen |first=J. Weston |date=June 6, 2016 |title=John Oliver's $15 Million Debt Giveaway |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/john-oliver-debt/485834/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607105724/http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/john-oliver-debt/485834/ |archive-date=June 7, 2016 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref> Writing for ''Slate'', Jordan Weissmann disputed the $15 million figure: "[Oliver] says CARP paid around $60,000 ... for its paper, which was 'out-of-statute'{{snd}}meaning the debts were so old that creditors technically couldn't even sue over them anymore. That suggests the seller thought the debts were worth no more than, well, $60,000."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weissmann |first=Jordan |date=June 6, 2016 |title=Sorry, but John Oliver Did Not Really Just Give Away $15 Million |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/06/06/john_oliver_did_not_really_give_away_15_million_on_his_show.html |url-status=live |work=Slate |language=en-US |access-date=June 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606221649/http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2016/06/06/john_oliver_did_not_really_give_away_15_million_on_his_show.html |archive-date=June 6, 2016 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref> The show partnered with [[RIP Medical Debt]], Inc. to abolish the debt.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kasperkevic |first=Jana |date=June 6, 2016 |title=John Oliver buys and forgives $15m worth of medical debt |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/06/john-oliver-medical-debt-forgiveness-last-week-tonight |url-status=live |access-date=June 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619140428/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/06/john-oliver-medical-debt-forgiveness-last-week-tonight |archive-date=June 19, 2018 |quote=Instead of collecting the debt, however, Last Week Tonight partnered with RIP Medical Debt charity and decided to forgive that debt.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Goff |first=Robert |date=June 5, 2016 |title=The Miracle of Debt Forgiveness on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |url=https://www.ripmedicaldebt.org/the-miracle-of-debt-forgiveness-on-hbos-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115132834/https://www.ripmedicaldebt.org/the-miracle-of-debt-forgiveness-on-hbos-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver/ |archive-date=November 15, 2016 |website=RIP Medical Debt, Inc. |language=en-US |access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref> === Coal mining and Bob Murray === {{Main|SLAPP Suits}} On June 18, 2017, ''Last Week Tonight''{{'}}s main segment was about coal mining and [[Robert E. Murray|Bob Murray]]. In his segment, Oliver talked about safety conditions inside coal mines, specifically the 2007 [[Crandall Canyon Mine]] collapse, which killed six miners. Oliver criticized Murray for claiming the collapse was caused by an [[earthquake]], despite all evidence demonstrating otherwise.<ref name="Suneson-2017">{{Cite news |last=Suneson |first=Grant |date=June 22, 2017 |title=John Oliver Is In Legal Trouble For His Rant About A Coal CEO |work=Newsy |url=https://www.newsy.com/stories/coal-ceo-sues-john-oliver-and-his-show-for-defamation/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623041444/http://www.newsy.com/stories/coal-ceo-sues-john-oliver-and-his-show-towhfor-defamation/ |archive-date=June 23, 2017}}</ref> The show ended with a costumed [[squirrel]] named "Mr. Nutterbutter", portrayed by [[Noel MacNeal]], offering Murray with an oversized check for "3 acorns and 18 cents" with the phrase "Eat Shit, Bob" in response to Murray's company presenting its employees with low sums of money as bonuses{{snd}}to which many retaliated by returning the checks, including one who returned theirs with that exact phrase written on it{{snd}}and in reference to a claim that Murray supposedly got the idea to start his company from a talking squirrel.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Coal: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw6RsUhw1Q8 |access-date=June 23, 2017 |series=Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |last=Oliver |first=John (host) |network=HBO |date=June 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623002244/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw6RsUhw1Q8 |archive-date=June 23, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> On June 22, Bob Murray presented a [[lawsuit]] against Oliver, HBO, and [[Time Warner]] for defamation. HBO believed ''Last Week Tonight'' had done nothing wrong, with a [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] lawyer describing the lawsuit as "frivolous."<ref name="Suneson-2017" /> In February 2018, a [[West Virginia]] judge stated that he planned to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Murray as unfounded.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oppenheim |first=Maya |date=February 24, 2018 |title=Coal tycoon's defamation lawsuit against John Oliver dismissed by judge |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/john-oliver-bob-murray-defamation-lawsuit-dismissed-judge-murray-energy-corp-a8226846.html |url-status=live |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |access-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225060807/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/john-oliver-bob-murray-defamation-lawsuit-dismissed-judge-murray-energy-corp-a8226846.html |archive-date=February 25, 2018}}</ref> After Murray's appeal to the [[West Virginia Supreme Court]] was delayed due to the [[Impeachment of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia|impeachment of its judges]], Murray offered to drop the charges and HBO accepted.<ref name="Horton-2019">{{Cite news |last=Horton |first=Adrian |date=November 11, 2019 |title=John Oliver takes on muzzling lawsuits – and the man who sued his show |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/11/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-lawsuits-murray-energy |url-status=live |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106154317/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/11/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-lawsuits-murray-energy |archive-date=January 6, 2020 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> On November 10, 2019, Oliver discussed the case in a segment about [[SLAPP|SLAPP suits]], revealing that the suit cost HBO $200,000 in legal costs and tripled the show's libel insurance fees. Oliver acknowledged that, despite the segment being vetted, the content would likely lead to another lawsuit, and that he would stand behind his team if it were to happen.<ref name="Horton-2019" /> The segment ended with a five-minute, [[Times Square]]-set [[musical number]] featuring crude and ludicrous fictional anecdotes about Murray. The musical number, entitled "Eat Shit, Bob",<ref name="Horton-2019" /> was later nominated for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambe |first=Stacy |date=July 28, 2020 |title=Emmy Nominations 2020: The Complete List |url=https://www.etonline.com/2020-emmy-nominations-the-complete-list-150060 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729011658/https://www.etonline.com/2020-emmy-nominations-the-complete-list-150060 |archive-date=July 29, 2020 |website=Entertainment Tonight |language=en-US |access-date=November 17, 2022}}</ref> === ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' === {{Main|A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo}} On March 18, 2018, Oliver announced the publication of a children's book, ''[[A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo]]'', which parodies a book that [[Mike Pence]]'s family wrote about their family rabbit, [[Marlon Bundo's: A Day in the Life of the Vice President|Marlon Bundo]]. Oliver used his book as a platform to criticize Pence's positions on LGBT issues, as it featured a rabbit in a same-sex relationship.<ref name="Daily Beast Bundo">{{Cite news |last=Stern |first=Marlow |date=March 19, 2018 |title=John Oliver Trolls Vice President Mike Pence With Gay Children's Book of His Pet Bunny |work=Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-trolls-vice-president-mike-pence-with-gay-childrens-book-of-his-pet-bunny |url-status=live |access-date=March 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319104738/https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-trolls-vice-president-mike-pence-with-gay-childrens-book-of-his-pet-bunny |archive-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref> The book became the number-one book and e-book on [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] the next day, and the top-selling audiobook on [[Audible (store)|Audible]].<ref name="Politico Bundo">{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Louis |date=March 19, 2018 |title=Comey's memoir tops Amazon's best-sellers list |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/19/james-comey-memoir-sales-470281 |url-status=live |access-date=March 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319140528/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/19/james-comey-memoir-sales-470281 |archive-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Busis |first=Hillary |date=March 20, 2018 |title=John Oliver's Gay-Bunny Book Is Outselling the Mike Pence Book It's Trolling |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-book-mike-pence-troll |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627073925/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-book-mike-pence-troll |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US |access-date=June 19, 2018}}</ref> === Russell Crowe's jockstrap === {{main|Russell Crowe's jockstrap}} [[Russell Crowe's jockstrap]] was purchased by the ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' staff and then donated to a Blockbuster Video shop. The jockstrap reappeared in a skit in the final episode of the 2018 season of the show. === ''Guinness World Records'' === The main story of the August 11, 2019, episode was [[Turkmenistan]] and its autocratic leader [[Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow]]. The last portion of the segment centered around Berdimuhamedow's obsession with ''[[Guinness World Records]]'', with the Turkmen capital of [[Ashgabat]] being home to the most buildings with white marble cladding, the largest indoor [[Ferris wheel]], and the largest statue of a horse's head, among others. Oliver found that ''Guinness World Records'' received sums of money ranging from US$12,000 to US$500,000 from companies and authoritarian nations to set records for publicity. He ended the show with a 600 square foot [[marble cake]] adorned with a picture of Berdimuhamedow falling from a horse; he had requested a Guinness adjudicator to certify it as the world's largest marble cake, a record previously set by [[Betty Crocker]] in Saudi Arabia in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 27, 2017 |title=A gift 'fresh from the heart' in Saudi Arabia |url=https://blog.generalmills.com/2017/09/a-gift-fresh-from-the-heart-in-saudi-arabia/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815165112/https://blog.generalmills.com/2017/09/a-gift-fresh-from-the-heart-in-saudi-arabia/ |archive-date=August 15, 2019 |website=General Mills |language=en-US |access-date=August 15, 2019}}</ref> Guinness refused, stating that because their brand was "aligned with kids and families", they would not send an adjudicator; Oliver mockingly commented that he did not "run a brutal enough dictatorship to meet Guinness World Records' high ethical standards". Oliver claimed that Guinness offered to certify it after the fact only if he signed an agreement not to criticize their practices on the show, which Oliver dismissed as "ridiculous".<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9QYu8LtH2E |title=Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |date=August 11, 2019 |last=HBO |access-date=August 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815170404/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9QYu8LtH2E&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=August 15, 2019 |url-status=live |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=John Oliver Bakes Very Large Cake to Annoy Turkmenistan |url=https://time.com/5648682/john-oliver-turkmenistan-cake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814150445/https://time.com/5648682/john-oliver-turkmenistan-cake/ |archive-date=August 14, 2019 |magazine=Time |language=en-US |access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> Guinness called Oliver's allegations "false and unfair", claiming that they did not send an adjudicator because they felt the cake was specifically for the purpose of mocking a record holder, stating it was their policy "not to partake in any activities which may belittle their achievements or subject them to ridicule".<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 12, 2019 |title=Guinness World Records on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/8/guinness-world-records-on-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-586398/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813023105/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/8/guinness-world-records-on-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-586398/ |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-GB |access-date=August 12, 2019}}</ref> ===Narendra Modi=== John Oliver extensively satirized Indian prime minister [[Narendra Modi]] in a segment which was broadcast on February 23, 2020, calling him a "temporary symbol of hate."<ref>{{Cite web |author=LastWeekTonight |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Modi: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVIXUhZ2AWs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/qVIXUhZ2AWs |archive-date=November 4, 2021 |website=YouTube |language=en-US |access-date=March 8, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> This was during a visit of US president [[Donald Trump]] to India, and in [[Namaste Trump|an organized rally]] that coincided with [[2020 Delhi riots|large-scale violence in Delhi]].<ref name="TempHate">{{Cite news |last=Horton |first=Adrian |date=February 24, 2020 |title=John Oliver explains Trump's support of Modi, India's 'temporary symbol of hate' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/24/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-recap-trump-modi-india |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229180408/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/24/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-recap-trump-modi-india |archive-date=February 29, 2020 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |access-date=February 26, 2018}}</ref> He criticized Modi's "increasingly controversial reputation and [[Citizenship Amendment Act protests|widespread protests against his government's citizenship measures]]", as well as the [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]]'s condoning of widespread [[violence against Muslims in India]].<ref name="TempHate" /> [[Disney+ Hotstar]], an Indian streaming service who holds rights to HBO programming in the country, refused to stream the episode, leading to criticism by local viewers (including Hotstar's apps being [[review bomb]]ed with 1-star reviews).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hotstar Gets 1-Star Reviews for Pro-Government Censorship of John Oliver |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/hotstar-1-star-reviews-modi-john-oliver-last-week-tonight-censorship-backlash-2185798 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306023425/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/hotstar-1-star-reviews-modi-john-oliver-last-week-tonight-censorship-backlash-2185798 |archive-date=March 6, 2020 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |date=February 26, 2020 |language=en |access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref> Oliver addressed the censorship in the March 8, 2020, episode, also noting that since the acquisition of Hotstar by [[The Walt Disney Company]] (which occurred as part of its [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|acquisition of 21st Century Fox]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disney Plans Southeast Asia Expansion for Hotstar |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/hotstar-southeast-asia-expansion-disney-bob-iger-star-india-2081496 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807112424/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/hotstar-southeast-asia-expansion-disney-bob-iger-star-india-2081496 |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |access-date=March 9, 2020 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |date=August 7, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Hotstar had begun to censor jokes regarding Disney characters from the program, such as his "factually-accurate" claim that [[Donald Duck]] had a [[corkscrew penis]].<ref name="thr-lwthotstar">{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2020 |title=John Oliver Slams Disney-Owned Streamer for Censoring 'Last Week Tonight' Jokes About Disney |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-oliver-slams-disney-owned-hotstar-removing-jokes-disney-1283146 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310025824/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-oliver-slams-disney-owned-hotstar-removing-jokes-disney-1283146 |archive-date=March 10, 2020 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |access-date=March 9, 2020}}</ref> === Danbury, Connecticut === {{See|John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant#Name}} [[File:John Oliver Memorial Sign.jpg|thumb|Sign at the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant]] John Oliver satirized the city of [[Danbury, Connecticut]] on a broadcast that aired on August 16, 2020, by making fun of the general quaintness of the town, starting a feud with the town that would last a few weeks, involving the Mayor of Danbury [[Mark Boughton]], the city's hockey team called [[Danbury Hat Tricks]], and other various content creators in Danbury. The mayor of Danbury, in response, revealed that they would rename their sewer plant, which makes up more than 80% of their $127 million budget, the "John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant", saying "it's full of crap, just like you [John Oliver]". The mayor reneged on this statement later in the week, claiming it was a joke, but after John Oliver offered $55,000 to local charities on a broadcast that aired on August 30, 2020, in exchange for the sewage plant actually being named after him, Danbury accepted the offer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=France |first=Lisa Respers |date=August 24, 2020 |title=Connecticut mayor slaps back at John Oliver with sewage plant renaming announcement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/24/entertainment/danbury-john-oliver-trnd/index.html |url-status=live |work=CNN |language=en-US |access-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017013733/https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/24/entertainment/danbury-john-oliver-trnd/index.html |archive-date=October 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sblendorio |first=Peter |date=September 7, 2020 |title=Connecticut mayor agrees to name sewage plant after John Oliver under one condition |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-john-oliver-danbury-connecticut-20200907-jaoztka26jbjvhpwazloqc5ynq-story.html |url-status=live |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US |access-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029214547/https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-john-oliver-danbury-connecticut-20200907-jaoztka26jbjvhpwazloqc5ynq-story.html |archive-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramos |first=Dino-Day |date=September 6, 2020 |title=John Oliver Continues Friendly Feud With Danbury; City Mayor Retaliates With An Offer Full Of Sewage |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-danbury-connecticut-mayor-mark-boughton-1234571935/ |url-status=live |website=Deadline |language=en-US |access-date=October 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013125149/https://deadline.com/2020/09/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-danbury-connecticut-mayor-mark-boughton-1234571935/ |archive-date=October 13, 2020}}</ref> === Bird of the Century Vote === In 2023, the [[New Zealand]] conservation group [[Forest & Bird|Forest and Bird]] ran its annual [[Bird of the Year]] vote, renamed to the Bird of the Century vote to coincide with the 100-year celebration of Forest and Bird.<ref>{{cite press release |date=July 29, 2023 |title=Bird of the Year becomes Bird of the Century to celebrate 100 years of Forest & Bird |url=https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/resources/bird-year-becomes-bird-century-celebrate-100-years-forest-bird |website=[[Forest & Bird]] |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref> John Oliver ran an extensive campaign for the [[Great crested grebe|pūteketeke]] during which he dressed up as the bird in his interview with [[Jimmy Fallon]] on [[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon|his show]]. He even brought the billboard ads across the globe, some of which even has the reference to the iconic [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy films]]. When the vote closed, it was revealed that the pūteketeke won by a landslide, with 83% of the votes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Turnbull |first=Tiffane |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Bird of Century: Pūteketeke wins NZ poll after campaign by John Oliver |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-67376814 |language=en-GB |access-date=November 29, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chen |first=Heather |date=November 15, 2023 |title=New Zealand crowns 'bird of the century' championed by John Oliver |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/bird-of-the-century-winner-puteketeke-john-oliver-intl-hnk/index.html |language=en-US |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Joe |date=November 15, 2023 |title=With a boost from John Oliver, pūteketeke soars to first in New Zealand bird contest |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1213228757/john-oliver-new-zealand-bird-century-contest-puteketeke |language=en-US |access-date=February 25, 2024}}</ref> === Clarence Thomas offer <span class="anchor" id="Supreme_Court"></span>=== {{See also|Clarence Thomas#Nondisclosure of finances}} Amidst allegations that justices of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], including Justices [[Clarence Thomas]] and [[Samuel Alito]], received gifts, meals, and vacations from right-wing billionaires, including [[Harlan Crow]], and failed to disclose them, Oliver ran a segment on his show on the Supreme Court and the scandal. The piece was highly critical of the Supreme Court's supposedly unenforceable and weak ethics code. In particular, the show was critical of Justice Thomas. At the end of the segment, Oliver offered Thomas gifts, including an [[Recreational vehicle|RV]] and $1,000,000 per year until Thomas' death, if he resigned from the Supreme Court. According to experts that Oliver has consulted before the segment's airing, the proposal was "somehow legal."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-20 |title=Clarence Thomas has 30 days to resign if he wants millions from John Oliver |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/clarence-thomas-has-30-days-to-resign-if-he-wants-millions-from-john-oliver/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mastrangelo |first=Dominick |date=2024-02-19 |title=John Oliver offering Clarence Thomas $1M a year to resign from Supreme Court |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4476865-john-oliver-clarence-thomas-1-million-dollars-supreme-court/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |work=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref>{{Clear}} == Notes == {{notelist-lr}} == References == {{Reflist|30em}} == External links == {{Portal|Comedy|Television}} * {{Official website|http://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver}} * {{IMDb title|id=3530232|title=Last Week Tonight with John Oliver}} * {{Facebook|LastWeekTonight}} * {{YouTube|u=LastWeekTonight|Last Week Tonight with John Oliver}} * {{Twitter}} {{Last Week Tonight}} {{Navboxes |title= [[List of awards and nominations received by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver|Awards for ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'']] |list= {{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Talk Show}} {{Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series}} {{Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Talk Series}} {{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information}} {{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sketch Variety Shows}} {{Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Comedy-Variety Talk Series}} }} {{Late night television in the United States}} {{HBONetwork Shows}} [[Category:Last Week Tonight with John Oliver| ]] [[Category:2014 American television series debuts]] [[Category:2010s American late-night television series]] [[Category:2010s American political comedy television series]] [[Category:2010s American satirical television series]] [[Category:2010s American television news shows]] [[Category:2010s American television talk shows]] [[Category:2020s American late-night television series]] [[Category:2020s American political comedy television series]] [[Category:2020s American satirical television series]] [[Category:2020s American television news shows]] [[Category:2020s American television talk shows]] [[Category:American news parodies]] [[Category:American television spin-offs]] [[Category:American English-language television shows]] [[Category:HBO original programming]] [[Category:Censored television series]] [[Category:Political satirical television series]] [[Category:Television series by Home Box Office]] [[Category:Television shows filmed in New York City]] [[Category:Television censorship in China]] [[Category:Works banned in China]] [[Category:Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series]] [[Category:Television Academy Honors winners]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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