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Tag: John Oliver

  • ‘Last Week Tonight’: John Oliver Slams Trump’s ‘Great Gatsby’ Party Amid SNAP Freeze

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    As many celebrated Halloween, the end of the month also marked the suspension of SNAP benefits for many Americans amid the government shutdown.

    On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver called out Donald Trump for continuing to blame the shutdown on Democrats as he went to a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago before his administration froze the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Nov. 1.

    “Yeah, not only is that pretty insulting,” he said. “I’m guessing it’s also pretty infuriating to whatever exhausted high school freshman just wrote a 4,000-word essay about Great Gatsby as a grim meditation on the disillusionment of the American Dream, only for CNN to tell them, ‘You know what? It’s really just a book about rich people partying.’”

    Oliver continued, “And for what it’s worth, the actual theme of that event was, and I quote, ‘A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.’ And I guess that is true. Although, it is also true, that as we are all finding out right now, a ‘grand old party’ is capable of killing a whole lot of people, and unfortunately, they don’t seem to give a single marble and gold-encased shit about that.”

    The suspension of SNAP benefits to over 42 million Americans by the Trump administration on Nov. 1 has proved to be a political lightning rod during a pretty low-key shutdown. In some of the ugliest examples of the MAGA mindset, the Department of Agriculture has determined in October it can’t use the billions in contingency funds long set aside for SNAP, due to legal considerations.

    That decision has led to a series of court challenges by states, cities and others amidst an expected surge at food banks.

    Two federal judges this week ruled the administration has to tap into the $6 billion available. However, despite Trump posting late Friday it would be his “honor to provide the funding, just like I did with military and law enforcement pay,” the administration is demanding the courts provide guidance on how to pay out — a process that will still delay SNAP recipients from receiving benefits for weeks in the very best case scenario.

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    Glenn Garner

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  • John Oliver Had This to Say About Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension

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    After Jimmy Kimmel Live! was abruptly pulled off the air following his comments about Charlie Kirk, which many deemed inappropriate, many talk show hosts, including John Oliver, stepped forward to discuss the implications of this move, especially on the First Amendment. CBS allegedly canceled Stephen Colbert’s show shortly before this, citing his political commentary.

    John Oliver says Jimmy Kimmel is the ‘latest canary in the coal mine’

    John Oliver made his feelings abundantly clear about the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s show. He claimed that free speech was under attack in the United States. In the latest episode of his show, Last Week Tonight, the host condemned the cancellation. He also claimed that it was “by no means the first casualty in Trump’s attacks on free speech.”

    Oliver continued, “He’s just the latest canary in the coal mine,…A mine that at this point now seems more dead canary than coal (via Business Insider).” Interestingly, various other actors and comedians also criticized Kimmel’s suspension, and Oliver dedicated most of his episode to discussing it.

    Oliver criticized Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr’s reaction to Kimmel’s statements directly led to the suspension.

    Among the things that were singled out in Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the host notably said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” This was the primary thing that led to action against his show.

    Before Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Jon Stewart had already spoken out about Kimmel’s suspension. But Oliver’s segment was more detailed and more critical compared to what the other hosts said. Although Colbert and Meyers also spoke in detail about how this suspension was an assault on freedom of speech.

    The future of Jimmy Kimmel Live! still hangs in jeopardy.

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    Sourav Chakraborty

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  • 7/27/2025: Death Flights; John Oliver

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    First, a look at what went into finding Argentina’s “death flight” plane. Then, a report on babies stolen during Argentina’s dictatorship. And, John Oliver: The 60 Minutes Interview.

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  • John Oliver Dings Tom Sandoval & Says Pigs Are Smarter Than ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star

    John Oliver Dings Tom Sandoval & Says Pigs Are Smarter Than ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star

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    Tom Sandoval of Vanderpump Rules continues to be the punchline of jokes for late-night shows and John Oliver took a swipe at the Bravo star on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight.

    Oliver took on the scam known as “pig butchering,” which is when scammers fatten up their victims with the promise of money and end up scamming them out of money.

    “Imagine being the victim of this scam, turning on the news and suddenly learning the shorthand for people in your situation is — the pigs,” Oliver said.

    He continued, “Although, I will say, it could’ve been worse. Pigs are awesome. They are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They are smarter than dogs, most three-year-olds and Tom Sandoval.”

    Watch the moment in the clip below.

    Oliver, who is a fan of Bravo’s programming, is the latest comedian to joke about Sandoval. On Saturday night, SNL also called out the reality TV star, labeling him a “pure narcissist.”

    Sandoval lives in infamy after cheating on Ariana Madix with their Vanderpump Rules co-star Rachel Leviss. The affair became known as “Scandoval” and a pop culture moment that was a turning point for the show’s stars and the series itself with a noticeable rise in ratings.

    The Bravo star recently came under fire after, in a New York Times profile, he compared the scandal’s impact to George Floyd and the O.J. Simpson case.

    After the interview was published, backlash ensued and Sandoval released a statement apologizing for making those remarks.

    “My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I’m incredibly sorry and embarrassed,” Sandoval said.

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    Armando Tinoco

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  • John Oliver Offers Clarence Thomas $1 Million A Year To Resign

    John Oliver Offers Clarence Thomas $1 Million A Year To Resign

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    Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver detailed the corruption of Clarence Thomas and offered him $1 million a year for the rest of his life to resign from the Supreme Court.

    John Oliver Offers Clarence Thomas $1 Million Per Year To Resign

    Oliver said:

     Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential Justice on the court right now and he’s never really seemed to like the job he said it’s not worth doing for the grief so what if he could keep the luxury perks that he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief well I think there might actually be a way to do that because Justice Thomas we have a special offer for you tonight we are prepared to offer you $1 million a year for the rest of your life if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back. It is that simple: just sign this contract, resign, and the money is all yours. This is not a joke. If you watch our show, you know jokes aren’t really our thing. This is real: a million dollars a year until you or I die.

    We have spoken to experts who’ve all told us the best they can tell this is somehow legal which seems crazy to me cuz it really feels like it shouldn’t be but as they keep pointing out there are no rules in place to stop me from doing this and let me be clear HBO is not putting up the money for this I am personally on the hook for years but this  offer is not forever you have exactly 30 days from Midnight tonight to make your resignation effective and if you are still on the fence I actually have a little deal sweetener that I’m excited to show you so please come with me just
    come this way because we know you’ve got a lot on your plate right now from stripping away women’s rights to hearing January 6th cases you definitely shouldn’t be hearing to potentially help roll back decades of federal regulations deserve a break you know away from the meanness of Washington so you can be surrounded by the regular folks whose lives you made demonstrably worse for decades now and the good news is I think we can help you there because since your favorite mode of travel might be in need of an upgrade.

    To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

    We are excited to offer you this brand new top-of-the-line Marathon motor coach look at this beauty Clarence it’s worth $2.4 million and it’s got a full bedroom yes that is a king size bed one and a half baths a fireplace four TVs a washer dryer and and I quote a residential size fridge and if you’re thinking what will my friends say if I take this offer will they judge me as they sit in their boardrooms and mega yachts and Hitler shrines will they still treat me to luxury vac occasions and sing songs about me off their phones that’s the beauty of friendship Clarence if they’re real friends, they’ll love you no matter what your job is so I guess this might be the perfect way to find out who your real friends actually are so that’s the offer a million dollar a year Clarence and a brand new condo on wheels and all you have to do return is sign the contract and get the off the Supreme Court talk it over with your totally best friend in the whole world because the clock starts now 30 daysClarence let’s do this.

    Video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-U6du_vMW8

    John Oliver Is Making A Point About The Lack Of Rules And Oversight On SCOTUS

    John Oliver was making a point that it is legal to try to pay off a Supreme Court Justice to quit, which is exactly why there needs to be more regulation and oversight of the Supreme Court. Oliver could literally buy a Supreme Court seat vacancy if Justice Thomas would take his offer.

    The odds are that Justice Thomas is getting more than a million dollars in cash and perks.

    However, the fact that Oliver was able to legally make the offer is a big part of the problem with the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court is a threat to democracy in its current lawless condition, and John Oliver is shining a bright light on how easy it is to buy a Supreme Court Justice.

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    If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. 

    We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.

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    Jason Easley

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  • John Oliver Says This Issue Causes Him ‘Tension’ With HBO’s Lawyers

    John Oliver Says This Issue Causes Him ‘Tension’ With HBO’s Lawyers

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  • John Oliver Exposes Freight Train Industry With Terrifying ‘Thomas The Tank Engine’ Remake

    John Oliver Exposes Freight Train Industry With Terrifying ‘Thomas The Tank Engine’ Remake

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  • John Oliver Reminds Us Over And Over That Pete Hegseth Went To Princeton

    John Oliver Reminds Us Over And Over That Pete Hegseth Went To Princeton

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    The “Last Week Tonight” host introduced a segment featuring nothing but the Fox News personality boasting that he went to the Ivy League university.

    “You’ll never guess where Fox’s Pete Hegseth went to college,” a narrator says, and by the time you’re done watching you’ll never want to hear about it again.

    Props to the laughter in the clip that turns sinister because blowing one’s horn can sound like a lot of hot air.

    Oliver took jabs at another Fox News host the previous week, highlighting how often Rachel Campos-Duffy brings up that her husband, former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), was a member of Congress. Duffy resigned in 2019.

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  • John Oliver Uses Kelsey Grammer Movie ‘Money Plane’ To Highlight Abortion Law Absurdity, Dings Warner Bros. Discovery For Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ Reboot

    John Oliver Uses Kelsey Grammer Movie ‘Money Plane’ To Highlight Abortion Law Absurdity, Dings Warner Bros. Discovery For Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ Reboot

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    As Kelsey Grammer says in his 2020 low-budget action movie Money Plane, “Whatever you want to wager on, the money plane has you covered. You want to bet on a dude f*cking an alligator? Money Plane.”

    Somehow, John Oliver, on his latest episode of HBO‘s Last Week Tonight, managed to use the film to highlight the absurdity of abortion laws in the U.S.

    The British comedian spent the majority of Sunday night’s episode discussing the current situation involving abortion following the Dobbs decision, particularly as it pertains to a number of local elections coming up this week.

    How did he connect the dots? The money plane is much like floating abortion clinics, an idea proposed to get round some states’ making abortions illegal.

    “Lawless territory, no rules, anything goes. It’s not only a foolproof plan, but it’s also the literal premise for the movie Money Plane. You didn’t hallucinate that during peak COVID. There really was a film about a casino in the sky full of thieves, cartels and arms dealers who can never be arrested because the money plane is always moving in international airspace,” said Oliver.

    He continued, “If you haven’t seen it, you should, frankly, stop watching this show right now and go watch that instead. If you pop an edible immediately, it should start to kick in right around when you meet the film’s villain – Darius Emanuel Grouch III, aka “The Rumble”, played by Kelsey Grammer.

    “It is the Frasier reboot that we deserved,” he joked.

    Money Plane, which was distributed in the U.S. by Quiver Distribution, also starred WWE Superstar Adam “Edge” Copeland, Denise Richards and Thomas Jane. It was directed by Andrew Lawrence, who wrote it with Tim Schaaf and was produced by Taylor & Dodge Entertainment and Dawn’s Light Productions.

    Elsewhere on the show, Oliver dinged Business Daddy aka Warner Bros. Discovery for its decision to reboot Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Wonka starring Timothée Chalamet.

    He highlighted comments from Idaho Republican Mark Sauter, who didn’t realize how much impact such abortion laws would have on his constituents. “That’s not a cute little oopsie, it’s not joking that Timothée Chalamet may could play a young Willy Wonka and the studio immediately greenlit and now you have to figure out what the fact that means.”

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  • John Oliver Spots What May Be Rep. George Santos ‘Most Transparent Lie’ Yet

    John Oliver Spots What May Be Rep. George Santos ‘Most Transparent Lie’ Yet

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    John Oliver didn’t buy Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) reason for not backing Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in the House speaker race.

    Santos moaned to reporters last week that Scalise hadn’t responded to his multiple requests for guidance, slamming it as a “dereliction of duty.”

    “Is he snubbing you?” one journalist asked Santos.

    “I don’t know. I don’t care quite frankly,” the congressman snapped back, before leaving the scene.

    “Are you sure about that? Because it really seems like it’s because Scalise snubbed you,” Oliver mocked Santos on Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight” in a video that Raw Story shared online.

    “Honestly, Santos saying, ‘I don’t care,’ in a tone that makes it clear he absolutely cares might be the most transparent lie that he’s ever told which is saying something,” he added.

    Oliver listed just some of the fabrications of Santos, who is now supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the position.

    Santos faces a 23-count indictment on allegations he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress, and used donors’ credit cards to rack up unauthorized charges.

    “For George Santos, an almost clinically chaotic man, to decide that you don’t have fundamental leadership skills is truly damning,” added Oliver.

    Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the speaker role almost two weeks ago. Scalise last week won a secret ballot to become the GOP nominee but withdrew within 24 hours after realizing he wouldn’t have a majority.

    On Friday, the GOP selected Donald Trump-backed Jordan as its candidate, but it’s currently unclear if he will obtain a majority either.

    For Oliver’s main segment, he examined food safety. He opened the show talking about the war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.

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  • Farewell to ‘Strike Force Five,’ Late Night’s Winning Podcast Experiment

    Farewell to ‘Strike Force Five,’ Late Night’s Winning Podcast Experiment

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    I’ll miss Jimmy Fallon most of all.

    Not because Fallon is going anywhere. In fact, he’s right back where he started from—once again hosting The Tonight Show on NBC, now that the writers strike is officially over. But what I’ve learned over the past two months is that Fallon’s talk show doesn’t actually play to his strengths. In an ideal world, he wouldn’t spend his evenings giggling at warmed-over movie star anecdotes or slow-jamming the news. (Do they even do “Slow Jam the News” anymore?) Really, he’s a born fifth banana whose blunders are the ideal scaffolding for savage jokes lobbed by the likes of Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel.

    Those four, along with Fallon, are the hosts of Strike Force Five, a Hail Mary podcast from the industry’s five principal late-night hosts that wrapped its 12-episode run Tuesday—weeks after the merciful conclusion of the work stoppage that prompted them to collaborate in the first place. (Proceeds from the podcast, sponsored primarily by brands headed by George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds, went to late-night staff members affected by the strike.)

    The end of the writers strike is undoubtedly a net good, for both the writers themselves and Hollywood more broadly. But I can’t help wishing it didn’t have to mean the end of Strike Force Five, a shaggy, surprisingly compelling project that allowed five men who have collectively appeared on television for, oh, one billion hours to show sides of themselves that don’t always make it to air. 

    Just a few years ago, the pandemic forced the network late-night hosts (and Oliver, their one major cable equivalent) to innovate, turning their backyards and attics into ersatz studios and enlisting their families to pitch in as guests and band members. It was a tough time to live through, but it injected some new life into a staid format. Strike Force Five did something similar on a much smaller scale, unshackling everyone (except, again, Oliver) from the strictures of the “monologue, video bit, guest one, guest two” format, as well as the network standards that forbid them from swearing. They’re free to swap war stories, trade self-deprecating insults, and marvel at weird personal anecdotes, like how Colbert’s mother briefly dated Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. 

    All five of these straight white fathers have been comfortably ensconced at their current shows for about a decade. More weirdly, all of them but Meyers admit in the podcast’s first episode that they harbored childhood dreams of joining the clergy. (“I said to my dad, ‘I want to be a vicar when I grow up,’ and he said, ‘No, you just want people to listen to you,’” says Oliver, drawing wry noises of recognition from his cohosts.) But alike as they are, Strike Force’s off-the-cuff nature allowed each to take on a specific role: Kimmel as the straight-shooting leader, Colbert as the wise elder statesman (and grade-A Wife Guy), Meyers as the frazzled family man, Oliver as the aloof outsider. 

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    Hillary Busis

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  • John Oliver Exposes a “Hard-Core MAGA Candidate” Running in Tennessee

    John Oliver Exposes a “Hard-Core MAGA Candidate” Running in Tennessee

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    Although Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver missed the first round of Kevin McCarthy jabs following the representative’s ouster as House Speaker, he did manage to criticize the current state of the GOP on Sunday night. The Republican Party, Oliver said, “is being controlled by the absolute extremes—but not just nationally, at the local level too.”

    Before delving into Sunday’s main topic, homeschooling, Oliver introduced viewers to Gabrielle Hanson, a real estate agent and town alderman running against the incumbent Republican mayor in Franklin, Tennessee. “She’s branded herself as a hard-core MAGA candidate,” Oliver said, while showing photos of Hanson at Donald Trump’s Florida compound, Mar-a-Lago. “Look how happy she is there. That’s the face of someone who’s just dined out on a well-done steak and read some classified documents on the toilet.”

    And as a NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams—whom Oliver dubbed “Nashville’s nosiest bitch”—has found, Hanson also has a laundry list of controversies. They include allegedly lying about dining with a diverse group of supporters and criticizing a Juneteenth celebration at a Nashville airport, as well as being supported by members of a white nationalist group. (Hanson denied being affiliated with the group.) 

    Hanson also attempted to block a Pride event earlier this year, and voiced her concerns about the event by holding up a photo of a participant dressed in drag as Elmo and classifying it as a confusing threat to children. “But by that logic, we should ban children from walking around Times Square too,” Oliver argued. “Because seeing Olaf from Frozen with his head popped off, smoking a Black & Mild, is way more confusing than someone wearing eye shadow in an Elmo-themed bodysuit.” Oliver also properly identified the drag queen as Jaidynn Diore Fierce—a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race season seven who is “constantly serving cartoon looks.” 

    “Have you ever seen a Minion serve body?” Oliver added. “Because you have now.”

    Oliver then pointed out the hypocrisy of Hanson’s statement by showing a photo of her husband wearing nothing but an American flag Speedo, reportedly on a dare from his wife, while attending 2008’s Chicago Pride Parade. “So to recap,” Oliver said. “Snatched Elmo: irreparably harmful to children. Star-spangled ball bag: That’s apparently completely fine with her.”

    Oliver concluded that Hanson was emblematic of the “vise-like grip” that far-right Republicans have on the party amid McCarthy’s axing. “In a world that made sense, this woman would obviously have withdrawn from this mayoral race in shame—but she still has supporters,” Oliver noted. “And there’s a real chance she could still win this election, because while her numerous scandals are clearly almost cartoonish in their extremity, her behavior is entirely emblematic of Republican politics, from the local level all the way up to the top.”

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • John Oliver returns to his HBO show, urging more workers to unionize | CNN Business

    John Oliver returns to his HBO show, urging more workers to unionize | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    Comedian John Oliver returned to his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday, becoming the latest late night host to air a new program following the end of the writers’ strike.

    “We missed so much that it would take a whole new version of Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ to cover it,” Oliver joked following a 15-minute recap of everything his show missed since going off air in April. (Oliver’s show airs on HBO, which like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.)

    “I wish so much that I could have told you these jokes at the time, but I couldn’t because our writers — the people who wrote those jokes — were forced to strike for a fair contract for the last five months, and it was an immensely difficult time,” he said. “Not just for them, but for everyone else working on this show and many others who could no longer do their jobs.”

    Oliver said that the strike happened for “good reasons” and said the writers “thankfully won” after being “severely squeezed in recent years” referencing reports that some writers don’t make enough for health insurance.

    “So the writers’ guild went on strike and thankfully won, but it took a lot of sacrifices from a lot of people to achieve that, and while I am happy that they eventually got a deal, and I’m proud of what our union accomplished, I’m also furious that it took the studios 148 days to achieve a deal that they could have offered on day f–king one.”

    He continued that he hopes the success of the writers strike encourages others, including auto workers and Starbucks employees, to “find power in each other.” Oliver said that actors, who are also currently on strike, are “able to take what the writers achieved and leverage it to win fair contracts too because the truth is it takes many people working really hard to make film and TV, all of whom deserve a piece of the pie.”

    “For the actors guild, in particular, they can not come back to work soon enough, especially as we’ve all now seen what happens when non-professionals are trusted with the written word,” he said.

    Last week, the Writers Guild of America unanimously voted to authorize its members to return to work following a 148-day strike with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that paralyzed the industry and halted production of several shows, including Oliver’s. Bill Maher returned to his show last Friday and the network hosts, such as Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, will air new programs Monday.

    The contract, which will expire in May 2026, includes pay increases, better benefits, protections against the studios’ use of artificial intelligence, guarantees for streaming compensation, longer-duration employment terms and other perks.

    Now the focus turns to negotiations between SAG-AFTRA, the union representing about 160,000 actors, and the AMPTP. The two sides are expected to begin negotiating again Monday and hopefully get closer to ending their strike, which has been happening since mid-July.

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  • Jimmy Kimmel Planned to Retire Before Strike

    Jimmy Kimmel Planned to Retire Before Strike

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    Jimmy Kimmel is one of the top late-night television hosts… But it sounds like he isn’t planning on staying one forever. On the first episode of the new Spotify podcast Strike Force Five, Kimmel explained that he was considering retirement before the writer’s strike began. His co-hosts were quick to point out that this isn’t the first time he’s implied he’d like to be done though.

    “Are you guys getting stir-crazy? Are you ready to go back to work?” Kimmel asks. “Because as you know, I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started, and now I realize, like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s kinda nice to work.’ You know, when you are working, you think about not working.”

    Seth Meyers interrupts him. “Come on. You are the Tom Brady of late-night hosts. You have feigned retirement…”

    “I’m Tom Brady without any rings, yes, or fingers,” Kimmel responded.

    READ MORE: The 12 Weirdest Reality Shows in History

    “Are we to take you at your word, that you were seriously considering this?” asked Meyers.

    Kimmel went on to explain that he was “very, very serious” about retiring.

    They also talked about why exactly they began the Strike Force Five show in the first place.

    “The last time there was a writers’ strike, there wasn’t a lot of communication between the late-night hosts. And as a result, there was a lot of nonsense that went on, so Stephen suggested we get together and we talk through our issues and whatever we’re dealing with.”

    The show will run for at least another 11 episodes. Hopefully, Kimmel comes to a decision by then. You can listen to the first Strike Force Five below:

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    These everyday phrases have their roots in lines of dialogue from television series.

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    Cody Mcintosh

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  • Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and others start podcast about Hollywood strikes together

    Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and others start podcast about Hollywood strikes together

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    WGA rejects proposal from Hollywood studios


    Writers strike continues as WGA rejects proposal from Hollywood studios

    04:17

    Five of America’s most famous late-night comedy hosts are banding together to create a podcast to discuss the ins and outs of the ongoing Hollywood strikes, Spotify announced Tuesday.

    The limited series podcast, titled “Strike Force Five,” launched Wednesday and features the voices of Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver. 

    “This past May, the hosts of five major late-night talk shows had an idea: to meet every week to discuss the complexities behind the ongoing Hollywood strikes,” the press release explained. “What ensued was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations.”

    The comedians then partnered with Spotify to release these “once-private” conversations to the world.

    In addition to raising awareness about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which include both writers and actors, the show will donate all proceeds it makes to the out-of-work staff and crew on each of the late-night hosts’ shows — “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

    The series will run for at least 12 episodes, the statement said.

    The five aren’t the only evening TV hosts to announce support for those on strike.

    Ken Jennings will be taking on all hosting duties for the upcoming season of “Celebrity Jeopardy” as Mayim Bialik steps down in solidarity with the WGA, according to reporting by Variety.

    Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May to fight for a contract that meets their demands for better pay, success-based residuals for streaming content and regulations regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

    Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the strike in July to fight for higher pay and tighter regulations on the use of A.I. in creative projects. (Some CBS News staff are SAG-AFTRA members, but they work under a different contract than the actors and are not affected by the strike.)

    “Strike Force Five” will be available to stream on any platform where podcasts are available.

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  • Late-Night Hosts Team Up For Podcast — And Proceeds Will Go To Their Out-Of-Work Staff

    Late-Night Hosts Team Up For Podcast — And Proceeds Will Go To Their Out-Of-Work Staff

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    If you’re missing rehearsed celebrity interviews, satirical news commentary or a delightfully awkward sidekick named Guillermo — an upcoming podcast may scratch that itch.

    “When the WGA strike started in May of this year, this elite group of suddenly unemployed talk show hosts gathered via the miracle of Zoom,” the press release says of the podcast’s origin story. “Their idea was to meet every week to discuss the serious issues a work stoppage creates. What happened instead was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations.”

    Even if discussions of the WGA strike may seem more niche than constant knocks on Donald Trump and his ilk, a simple listen could help each show’s staff out a whole lot. Proceeds from the podcast will go to staffers on each of the host’s respective shows, who are currently out of work.

    Of course, there are other ways you could support the thousands of out-of-work writers and their colleagues, like joining a picket line or contributing to strike funds (believe it or not, canceling Netflix is not a recommended option). But now you can also listen to a podcast!

    The podcast launches Wednesday — and if you’re interested in a little taste of what the podcast will be like, Kimmel shared an excerpt on X, formerly Twitter, below. Unfortunately, no Guillermo is included.

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  • Late Night Hosts Teaming For Podcast to Support Striking Staffers

    Late Night Hosts Teaming For Podcast to Support Striking Staffers

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    During the height of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, many people in the industry are looking for work. Five late-night hosts have managed to find a new short-term gig: Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver are all getting together over at Spotify with their own show. The aptly-titled Strike Force Five features these late-night hosts talking about the strike, the industry, and just sharing general banter. The series is a Spotify exclusive, running for at least 12 episodes. The show features all of the hosts for every episode, however, it’s hosted by a single individual on a rotating basis.

    The initial seed of the idea began when all of the late-night hosts got together on Zoom to discuss the results of the work stoppages in their lives, as well as various other issues centered around the strike. Eventually, they realized that it could be a solid foundation for a show. Spotify says it “was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations. Now, Colbert, Fallon, Kimmel, Meyers and Oliver invite you to listen in on their once-private chats on this all-new podcast.”

    Stephen Colbert Obama The Werd
    CBS

    READ MORE: The Best TV Shows of the Year

    All of the proceeds will go to paying the out-of-work staff behind each one of their late-night talk shows. It’s also sponsored by Mint Mobile (of which Ryan Reyolds owns a sizeable portion) and the alcoholic beverage company Diageo.

    Strike Force Five launches on August 30, and it’ll be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and most other big podcast outlets. While the show promises to be at least 12 episodes, it’s supposed to run for the duration of the strike. You can listen to it here.

    10 Popular TV Shows That Were Almost Cancelled Too Soon

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    Cody Mcintosh

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  • John Oliver Slams Budweiser For “Huge Misfire” After Dylan Mulvaney Backlash

    John Oliver Slams Budweiser For “Huge Misfire” After Dylan Mulvaney Backlash

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    John Oliver has long had a bone to pick with Budweiser. The late-night host, who previously compared the product’s taste to “The Jolly Green Giant’s ejaculate,” tore into the company on Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, criticizing its response to backlash over a social media partnership with TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney

    In the weeks after Mulvaney posted an innocuous ad for Bud Light—a beverage Oliver described as “the beer you’d give a child to drink to teach it a lesson” and “a beer that asks the question: Are we allowed to call cat urine beer?’”—many customers “on the right absolutely lost their shit over this, because Bud Light partnered with a trans woman,” Oliver explained. “There have been calls for boycotts, and this incredibly stupid video from Kid Rock.”

    Oliver then mocked the footage, in which Rock can be seen shooting packs of purchased Bud Light with a rifle. “I don’t think there’s a more dangerous way to dispose of Bug Light other than, of course, drinking it,” Oliver quipped. “And second, not to gun shame Child Rock here, but you are 20 yards away from a target that’s bright, identifiable, and crucially stationary, and you are spraying bullets all over the place. Perhaps that is why it sure seems like you may have help there, because if you watch it slowed down, you’ll notice that three blasts that actually destroy the cases appear to be coming from the right.”

    The host then targeted the “real nastiness” behind the backlash with “moral panic around trans rights” arriving amidst anti-LBTQ laws in various states, including bans on gender-affirming care for kids. “And maddeningly, Anheuser-Busch’s response to that ugliness has been to equivocate in the face of it,” Oliver continued. “Its CEO put out a statement that said, ‘We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.’ Which, sure. Though, again, not technically beer so much as it’s fizzy water swished around a dog’s mouth.”

    He concluded the segment by playing a recent ad for Budweiser that emphasizes the unity its product brings, which Oliver called a “huge misfire.” He added,  “When bigots are loudly announcing they don’t like your beer because they are bigots, that is an opportunity to say ‘Then our beer is not for you.’ But if you’re going to cozy up to them with platitudes, stock footage, and frankly, distractingly fuckable horses, why not at least really go for it?”

    Basically, Oliver explained: “It’s pretty annoying to be both-sidesing something that when the two sides are: ‘I am trans’ and ‘That makes me so mad, I’m going to shoot $65 worth of nonrefundable beer.’”

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • John Oliver Exposes Some Of The Most ‘Horrific’ Working Conditions In America

    John Oliver Exposes Some Of The Most ‘Horrific’ Working Conditions In America

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    John Oliver on Sunday night pointed out that much of America’s food is still picked by hand ― and most of those hands belong to some of the most poorly treated people in the nation: immigrant farm workers.

    They’re so critical that they were named “essential workers” during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “And yet while we claim they’re essential, we sure don’t treat them like it,” he said, noting that they’re among the lowest-paid workers in the nation while facing dangerous conditions on the job ranging from natural disasters to pesticide exposure to horrible bosses.

    That extends to when they’re not even working, as many are placed in living conditions so bad that one location Oliver found actually functioned as a haunted house on Halloween.

    “That is horrific,” Oliver said after showing footage of some of those living conditions. “No one would see that and say, ‘That is a good place for people to live.’ They maybe say ‘That’s a nice spot for ghosts to throw up’ and that’s it.”

    Oliver called for better conditions and a path toward citizenship for the farm workers who provide much of the nation’s food.

    “Farm workers provide this country with our most basic necessity, and in return we act like they either don’t matter or don’t exist,” he said. “The message that we have sent to them has consistently been: ‘You don’t count.’”

    See more from Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight”:

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  • ‘WOW!’ John Oliver Exposes The ‘Most Bizarre’ Ron DeSantis Story Of All

    ‘WOW!’ John Oliver Exposes The ‘Most Bizarre’ Ron DeSantis Story Of All

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    Or, as Donald Trump has reportedly toyed with calling him, “Meatball Ron.”

    “I hate to say it, but Trump’s still got it,” Oliver said on hearing of the nickname. “It’s perfectly stupid, childish and hurtful in a way that’s genuinely difficult to articulate.”

    Oliver looked at DeSantis’ relentless attacks on the LGBTQ community, the media, voters and more. But the strangest item he uncovered involves what Oliver called “the most bizarre dating tactic I have ever heard.”

    If she did, the article claimed, he’d make an excuse and leave because “he didn’t want a girlfriend who corrected him.”

    “If that is true: WOW!” said Oliver. “Just imagine being on that date.”

    Oliver launched into a detailed description of just how that date might unfold, right up to the point of DeSantis taking off “leaving you both with the check and the single greatest first-date disaster story of all time.”

    Oliver ultimately summed up DeSantis as “a petty autocrat and a bully ― a man with no interest in hearing dissent, questions or indeed the correct pronunciation of Thai food.”

    And also: “just a fucking meatball.”

    See the full segment below:

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