All posts tagged: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver likened the current condition of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. to “sex with the Grinch” on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. “Another of Trump‘s pet projects continues to unravel,” the host said of the pool’s $15 million renovation, which hasn’t gone as planned. The upgrades included fixing leaks, adding a blue lining and installing something called “nanobubblers” that were aimed at preventing algae. However, the pool has recently been affected by peeling paint and a resurface in algae. On Sunday, Trump blamed vandals for the issues. “The Reflecting Pool is now in full use after suffering great damage from Criminal, Radical Left Vandals, people that truly hate our Country,” he posted on Truth Social. “They cut the lower surface of a very expensive and strong waterproof padding, in the color of American Flag Blue, and put their hands underneath the surface, and ripped it. Likewise, they cut and butchered a 350 foot long strip, with many 1 and 2 foot individual cuts, creating great damage to this beautiful piece of art …

John Oliver Gets His Wish to Appear on ‘General Hospital’

John Oliver Gets His Wish to Appear on ‘General Hospital’

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver usually appears on TV screens late at night, but the Last Week Tonight host has long harbored a desire to appear on daytime TV. Later this week, he will. Oliver will appear in a “significant” three-episode guest role on ABC’s General Hospital, he revealed on Sunday’s episode. His first appearance is scheduled to air Thursday, with his other episodes set for Friday and Monday, July 6. The role came about after Oliver pleaded to be cast on a daytime soap on Last Week Tonight’s March 8 episode. After noting that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has appeared on and off on General Hospital for years, Oliver said, “To all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you. Write me a role, and I wll be on your set so fast, it will make your head spin.” He also said he didn’t want to play himself, but a character with a “ridiculous” name and that “I want to do something juicy, like murder, or slapping, or being …

John Oliver Mocks Trump, Ballroom, Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Mocks Trump, Ballroom, Reflecting Pool

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver took aim at President Donald Trump‘s plans for a “huge” ballroom — something he’s done before and also before that — and his contradictory claims over upgrades on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. Oliver started out by pointing to Trump‘s social media post amid his trip to China wherein he noted that “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It is under construction ahead of schedule and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.” Said Oliver: “Because incredibly, despite everything going on in the world right now, Trump’s still relentlessly focused on what’s been called a ‘sweeping makeover’ of the White House and Washington D.C. In the past year, he’s installed two massive flagpoles, a Presidential Walk of Fame outside the White House, paved over the Rose Garden and redecorated the Oval Office, as if to answer the question, ‘What if an ancient Egyptian pharaoh owned an Airbnb?’” Oliver then showed video of Trump last week making the argument that all …

John Oliver Has a Gripe With Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

John Oliver Has a Gripe With Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver aired a years-long grievance he evidently has with Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde — yes, you read that right — on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. The HBO host’s main segment focused on the Supreme Court, specifically something called shadow dockets. “The Court has been repeatedly jumping into ongoing cases to say, ‘You know what, while this works its way through the courts, Trump should get to do the thing that he wants to do anyway,’” Oliver explained. “It’s basically a football referee saying, ‘Pending a final ruling on the legality of the quarterback having a gun, I’m just gonna stand back and see where he’s going with this.’” That’s where the shadow docket comes in, Oliver noted, adding that to understand what that is, viewers should be reminded how the Supreme Court decides cases. Oliver then showed a CNN clip where the reporter explained the process, staring out by saying, “When you think of a Supreme Court case, you’re thinking of a case on the merits docket.”  The reporter then explained how …

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Mocks Trump for Insulting Pope

Published by Daniella Wilson

After a couple weeks off, John Oliver returned with a new episode of Last Week Tonight on Sunday, mocking Donald Trump for attacking Pope Leo XIV. Several days ago, the Pope weighed in on the Iran war, saying that “whoever is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, never stands on the side of those who yesterday wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” Noted Oliver: “It was one of a series of statements that made Trump lose his shit.” The Last Week Tonight host then pointed to a lengthy post that Trump made on Truth Social that began with the statement that the Pope is “weak on crime.”  Which, Oliver said, “in terms of insults, just doesn’t work. It’s like saying this possum is weak on Balkan geography: OK, but who gives a shit? It’s not a possum’s job to correctly place Bosnia and Herzegovina on a map. Her job is to eat garbage, hang upside down and, by this evidence, fuck,” he joked, showing a photo of possums caring for multiple offspring. …

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Mocks Trump for Not Saying ‘War’ Amid Conflict in Iran

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver kicked off Sunday’s Last Week Tonight by mocking President Trump for his justification of avoiding the use of the word “war” amid the United States’ military operation in Iran. “The Iran war entered its second month, though Trump tries not to use the word ‘war’ for reasons he probably shouldn’t be saying out loud,” Oliver said, setting up a clip of Trump explaining why he isn’t using the term. “I won’t use the word ‘war’ because they say if you use the word war, that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump said. “They don’t like the word war because you’re supposed to get approval, so I’ll use the word ‘military operation,’ which is really what it is.” Responded Oliver: “What? He really just talks like a 6-year-old speaking stream-of-consciousness to a stranger: ‘And my mum says I’m not allowed to talk about my penis with other people, even though everybody has one, well, not her and not my sister, but my dad and I both have penises, but I can’t say …

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Addresses Trump, Iran, Gas Prices

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver weighed in on the conflict in Iran on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. “Now despite relentless bombing, the U.S. has been unable to stop Iran striking targets around the region and blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” he recapped on his HBO show. “The news hasn’t been great, so on Thursday, [United States Secretary of War] Pete Hegseth decided to speak to the American public directly.” Oliver showed a clip of Hegseth talking about the situation in the Middle East at a press conference: “I stand here today speaking to you, the American people. Not through filters, not through reporters, not through cable news spin. … Yes, there are reporters in front of me, but they are not our audience today. It’s you, the good, decent, patriotic American people. You, the hardworking, tax-paying, God-fearing American patriots.” Quipped Oliver: “OK, set aside Hegseth’s whole vibe there — which is very ‘Welcome to my birthday dinner. One of you has been poisoned’ — You actually don’t need to announce who you are and aren’t speaking to. There’s …

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Reacts to Paramount Possibly Taking Over HBO

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver isn’t what you might say thrilled about getting a new “business daddy.”  That’s how he’s referred to whatever company happens to own HBO, home of his late-night show Last Week Tonight, over the years, from AT&T to Warner Bros. Discovery. On Sunday’s episode, he referenced last week’s news that Netflix had backed out of the bidding for Warner Bros., positioning David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance to win the battle for the studio.  “It turns out we might be getting a new business daddy,” he said, before showing a news clip recapping recent events. “Yeah, not great news. In fact, if I may quote anyone who’s ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote, ‘Oh shit, I’m in Paramount now, how the fuck do I get out of this?’” On Thursday, Netflix said it was declining to raise its bid for Warner Bros. Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters released a statement saying that the deal is “no longer financially attractive” and that it “was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ …

John Oliver Jokes About Reflecting Pool

John Oliver Addresses Prince Andrew’s Arrest on Last Week Tonight

Published by Daniella Wilson

John Oliver started out Sunday’s Last Week Tonight by recapping the news of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest last week. The former Prince Andrew, who is the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and brother of King Charles III, was arrested in the U.K. three days ago on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released after several hours in custody.  Police arrested him after emails came to light as part of the Epstein files being released by the U.S. Department of Justice. His ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have put him under scrutiny for years, leading to his being stripped of his royal titles, including that of Prince and  also the Duke of York. On his HBO show Sunday, Oliver showed video from a news report wherein the reporter noted that the arrest came after “growing revelations about the alleged connections” between the two men. The report showed a photo of Epstein and Andrew walking side by side, appearing to be in conversation. Said Oliver: “It’s true, they arrested former Prince Andrew, and I don’t …

John Oliver Has a Gripe With Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

John Oliver Recaps Trump, Olympics, More News

Published by Daniella Wilson

Last Week Tonight returned with its 13th-season premiere on Sunday night after three months off the air, and host John Oliver quickly acknowledged the multiple news events that happened during that time. “We’ve been off for the last three months, and we have missed a lot, and I mean a lot, a lot,” he told viewers at the start of his late-night HBO show. In five minutes, he quickly recapped all the headlines that happened since the season finale in November. Below, read his recap: “Trump was awarded the first ever FIFA Peace Prize just weeks before kidnapping the president of Venezuela. The latest batch of Epstein files got released. Measles numbers exploded across multiple states, which I know seems bad, but to be fair — not if you’re the measles. “Trump repeatedly threatened to take over Greenland, or as he now seems to refer to it about half the time, Iceland. The Beckham family went through some shit, and Trump said this while promoting whole milk in the Oval Office,” Oliver continued, showing a …