Last Week Tonight with John Oliver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |
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| Genre |
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| Created by | John Oliver |
| Directed by |
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| Presented by | John Oliver |
| Narrated by | David Kaye |
| Opening theme | "Go" by Valley Lodge |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| No. of episodes | 342 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Production location(s) | CBS Broadcast Center New York, New York |
| Running time | 30–45 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | HBO HBO Max |
| Original release | April 27, 2014 – present |
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a popular American TV show. It's a mix of news, comedy, and talk show. John Oliver created, writes, and hosts the program. The show started in April 2014 on HBO. New episodes are now also available on HBO Max.
The show is similar to The Daily Show, where John Oliver used to work. It looks at news, politics, and current events in a funny way. But Last Week Tonight does this once a week, diving deep into specific topics. The show is currently contracted to air through the 2026 season.
Contents
About the Show
John Oliver prepares for the show by watching a lot of news. He looks for stories that might not be explained well elsewhere. He wants to find topics that are "off the grid." This means stories that aren't getting much attention.
The show's executive producer, Tim Carvell, explained how they keep the audience engaged. Since there are no commercial breaks, they add short, funny video clips. These clips give viewers a break from hearing John Oliver talk for a long time.
HBO gave the show creators a lot of freedom. They didn't have to invite famous celebrities as guests. John Oliver also decided the show would not pretend to be a real news program. So, there are no actors pretending to be journalists.
Filming During the Pandemic
In early 2020, the show paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned on March 29, 2020, filmed from John Oliver's home. There was no studio audience, and the team worked mostly online.
Oliver filmed from home until September 2021, when the show moved to a new studio. While at home, he used a blue background. He even gave it a personality, calling it "The Void," and added cartoon eyes and a mouth. Sometimes, Oliver would talk to "The Void."
John Oliver has said he has "full creative freedom." This means he can even make jokes about HBO's former parent company, AT&T. He often called it the show's "business daddy."
How the Show Works
Last Week Tonight is different from other news comedy shows. Instead of covering many recent news stories, Oliver usually focuses on one main topic. He explores this topic in great detail. The show is filmed in front of a live audience.
Show Segments
Each episode begins with a theme song. It shows images related to the world with funny, fake Latin captions. For example, a picture of a gun might be labeled "deus ex machina."
Most episodes have a few short segments and one main, longer segment. The short parts usually cover recent news. The main segment often explores a political or social issue in depth. This happens even if the issue wasn't in the news that week. Sometimes, the main segment takes up the whole show.
Oliver uses video clips from news shows or documentaries to support his points. He often introduces these clips by saying, "And now, this." He also ends some segments with funny fake commercials or TV show trailers. These trailers make fun of the topic he just discussed.
Adding Humor
John Oliver uses humor to make his points. He uses funny comparisons and references to pop culture. A small panel in the top-left corner of the screen often shows a funny photo or graphic. This helps add to the jokes.
He also creates hashtags related to his segments. Many of these hashtags become very popular online.
Show Mascots
The show often uses funny mascots. These include Jeff the Diseased Lung in a Cowboy Hat. Other mascots are Hoots the NSA Owl and Taryn the Tinder Chicken. John Oliver once said the show is his attempt to make The Muppet Show.
Special Guests
The show often features celebrity guests. They help John Oliver explain the week's topic. Guests might give speeches, be interviewed, or act in funny skits. Sometimes they appear live in the studio, and other times in pre-recorded videos.
Oliver has also interviewed important people directly involved in the issues he discusses. These guests share their experiences and viewpoints. For example, he has interviewed Edward Snowden and the Dalai Lama. He traveled to Moscow to interview Snowden and to India for the Dalai Lama.
Show's Purpose
Last Week Tonight aims to look deeply into big issues. It helps explain how public policies connect to real-world results. The show tries to show the bigger picture of social and political topics.
Watching the Show Around the World
You can watch clips from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on YouTube internationally. The full show airs on various channels worldwide. For example, it's on HBO Canada, FOX8 in Australia, and Sky Comedy in the UK. In India, it streams on JioCinema.
YouTube Channel Details
The show has a popular YouTube channel. Video segments are added after the show airs. For a while, the main segment was uploaded on Thursdays. But now, it's usually uploaded the day after the Sunday broadcast. John Oliver has shared his frustration about these upload delays.
The channel also has "Web Exclusives." These are videos made just for YouTube. For example, one video showed Oliver responding to negative comments.
Since February 2024, the show has uploaded full episodes to YouTube for free. This happens in countries where local broadcasters don't have exclusive rights. They have also added full archives of past seasons.
A video from the show supporting the UK staying in the EU was very popular on Twitter. It was the most shared video during the lead-up to the 2016 EU membership referendum.
The show's team has also created content for fans to use. For example, they released 23 minutes of a person in a zebra costume dancing. Viewers could then edit this into their own funny videos. Another video, "Real Animals, Fake Paws," used dogs to re-enact U.S. Supreme Court cases. This was to make court cases more interesting.
By April 2015, the channel had over a million subscribers. By January 2023, it had over 9 million subscribers and more than 3.5 billion views.
Show Updates
John Oliver's first contract with HBO was for two years. In September 2020, HBO renewed the show for three more seasons. This kept the show on air through 2023.
The show's tenth season in 2023 had fewer episodes. This was because of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. No new shows aired from May to September that year.
On December 5, 2023, HBO announced another renewal for three seasons. This means the show is scheduled to air through 2026. The show's twelfth season premiered on February 16, 2025.
Impact and Influence
The show has sometimes caused real-world reactions. For example, the military government of Thailand blocked John Oliver. This happened after he made comments about the Crown Prince. In China, "John Oliver" and "Last Week Tonight" were blocked from social media. This was after a segment about Xi Jinping and Chinese media censorship.
The "John Oliver Effect"
Sometimes, a segment on Last Week Tonight leads to real changes. Media outlets call this the "John Oliver Effect." This means the show's attention helps people, lawmakers, or other groups take action.
For example, a June 2014 segment about net neutrality in the United States caused a big reaction. Over 45,000 comments were sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This helped the FCC change its mind about a proposal. They instead put rules in place to protect net neutrality. A similar segment in 2017 also led to many comments.
Another example involved public defenders. After a segment about their lack of funding, a New Orleans office received thousands of dollars in donations. This helped them reach their fundraising goal quickly.
However, John Oliver himself doesn't believe the "John Oliver Effect" is real. He often jokes about the idea on his show.
Tobacco Industry Segment
In February 2015, a segment called "Tobacco" aired. It discussed the practices of the tobacco industry. Oliver created a mascot named Jeff the Diseased Lung in a Cowboy Hat. This mascot was for a big tobacco company.
Oliver and his team promoted Jeff by sending shirts with his image to Togo. They also displayed billboards in Uruguay. They encouraged people to use the hashtag #JeffWeCan. This hashtag became popular on Twitter.
The mascot even appeared at a protest in New York City in May 2015. The tobacco company, Philip Morris International, said the segment had "many mischaracterizations."
Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption
In August 2015, John Oliver set up a church called Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption. He did this with a tax lawyer. His goal was to show how easy it is to create a tax-exempt religious organization.
Oliver explained that the rules for being a "church" are very broad. He used his studio in New York City as the church's official location. He registered the non-profit organization in Texas.
His "megachurch" had a phone number for donations. Oliver said all money collected would go to Doctors Without Borders. He announced the church on his show on August 16, 2015.
A week later, Oliver shared that the church had received "thousands of envelopes with thousands of dollars." He joked that the more money people sent, the more "blessings" they would get. He noted that he was "amazingly legally allowed to say" this.
Oliver announced the church would close on September 13, 2015. All the money donated was sent to Doctors Without Borders.
Donald Trump Segments
In February 2016, a segment discussed American businessman Donald Trump. It covered his 2016 presidential campaign and business career. Oliver revealed that Trump's family name was once 'Drumpf'.
The segment popularized the term "Donald Drumpf." It started a campaign urging viewers to "Make Donald Drumpf Again." This was a playful twist on Trump's own slogan. The segment had over 85 million views online, a record for HBO content. Oliver made more segments about Trump during the 2016 election and after his inauguration.
Debt Buyers Segment
In June 2016, a segment called "Debt Buyers" aired. It discussed the business of buying old debts. Oliver announced he had bought nearly $15 million in medical debt. This debt belonged to 9,000 people.
He did this through a company he created called "Central Asset Recovery Professionals Inc." (CARP). Oliver said it was "disturbingly easy" to start such a business. It cost him only $50 to register the company. He spent less than $60,000 to buy almost $15 million in old medical debt.
Oliver then forgave all the debt. He claimed this was the largest single giveaway in American television history. The show worked with RIP Medical Debt, Inc. to help abolish the debt.
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
In March 2018, Oliver announced a children's book. It was called A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. This book was a funny version of a book written by Mike Pence's family about their rabbit.
Oliver's book playfully showed a rabbit in a same-sex relationship. This was a way to comment on certain political views. The book quickly became the number-one book and e-book on Amazon. It was also a top-selling audiobook on Audible.
Russell Crowe's Jockstrap
Russell Crowe's jockstrap was bought by the Last Week Tonight staff. They then donated it to a Blockbuster Video store. The jockstrap later appeared in a funny skit in the show's 2018 season finale.
Guinness World Records Segment
In August 2019, a main story was about Turkmenistan and its leader. The segment focused on the leader's love for Guinness World Records. The capital city, Ashgabat, holds many records. These include the most buildings with white marble and the largest indoor Ferris wheel.
Oliver found that Guinness World Records received money from companies and countries to set records. He tried to set a record for the world's largest marble cake. He wanted a Guinness judge to certify it. Guinness refused, saying their brand was "aligned with kids and families." Oliver joked that he wasn't "brutal enough" for their standards. Guinness said they didn't want to be part of activities that might make fun of record holders.
Bird of the Century Vote
In 2023, New Zealand held its annual Bird of the Year vote. It was renamed Bird of the Century for a special celebration. John Oliver started a big campaign for the pūteketeke bird.
He promoted the bird on his show and in interviews. He even placed billboard ads around the world. These ads encouraged people to vote for the pūteketeke. The pūteketeke won the vote by a large margin.
SAG-AFTRA Strike Support
John Oliver strongly supported actors and writers during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. He spoke out for fair pay and better working conditions. He used his show to highlight the challenges faced by writers and actors.
During the strike, Last Week Tonight went on a long break. This allowed Oliver and his writing team to join the strike. His absence from TV was a way to show his support. He believes in working together for change.
Oliver also teamed up with other late-night hosts for a podcast called Strike Force Five. This podcast raised money for the staff of their shows while production was stopped.
See also
In Spanish: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver para niños
