John Oliver

Early life

John William Oliver was born in the Birmingham suburb of Erdington on 23 April 1977, the son of music teacher Carole and school headmaster and social worker Jim Oliver. His mother is from Liverpool, while his father comes from the Wirral. He has a younger sister who lives in Australia. His uncle was the composer Stephen Oliver. He grew up in Bedford, where he attended the Mark Rutherford School and learned to play the viola. He was raised Anglican, but later told interviewer Terry Gross that he lapsed at the age of 12 after the death of a school friend and an uncle, followed by a feeling of receiving no useful answers from the church. In the mid-to-late 1990s, he studied at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Cambridge Footlights. His Footlights contemporaries included comedians David Mitchell and Richard Ayoade, and he became the club's vice president in 1997. He and Footlights president Ayoade wrote and performed in several productions together, appearing in both Footlights' 1997 and 1998 touring shows: Emotional Baggage (directed by Matthew Holness) and Between a Rock and a Hard Place (directed by Cal McCrystal). In 1998, Oliver graduated with a degree in English.

Since childhood, he has been a fan of Liverpool F.C., noting in interviews that "my mum's family are from Knotty Ash and my dad's family are from the Wirral, so supporting Liverpool was very much not a choice".

Career

1985–2005: Early career

In 1985, Oliver made his first on-screen appearance playing Felix Pardiggle, a minor role in the BBC drama Bleak House. In an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, he commented, "When I was six years old ... [the BBC] wanted a kid with dark hair and brown eyes, and I was two-for-two on that". In 2001, Oliver appeared as a bank manager in series two of People Like Us. Oliver said in a later Seth Meyers appearance that one of his first paying jobs was writing for the British morning show The Big Breakfast.

Oliver's first major stand-up appearance was at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the late-night showcase The Comedy Zone, where he played an "oleaginous journalist". Oliver frequently worked with other members of the comedian group the Chocolate Milk Gang, including Daniel Kitson, Russell Howard, David O'Doherty, and Alun Cochrane. His debut solo show was at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and he returned the following year. In 2004 and 2005, he performed in a double act and co-hosted the political radio show Political Animal with Andy Zaltzman.

From 2002 to 2003, Oliver worked on the BBC Three comedy series The State We're In, along with Anita Rani, Jon Holmes, and Robin Ince. In 2003, Oliver manned the "results desk" on an election night episode of Armando Iannucci's satirical show Gash on Channel 4. In 2004, Oliver wrote and performed in the satirical radio programme The Department on BBC Radio 4 with Andy Zaltzman and Chris Addison. Starting in June 2005, Oliver made appearances on British television as a panellist on the satirical news show Mock the Week, and became a frequent guest on the first two series.

2006–2013: ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''

In 2007, Oliver wrote and presented a BBC America campaign to have viewers use closed captions. Shown in brief segments before shows, one of the campaign messages said, "The following program contains accents you would have heard a lot more if you hadn't thrown our tea into Boston Harbor," another "Not even British people can follow the British accent 100 per cent of the time. Therefore you, like me, might want to use closed-captioning." Oliver used some of these jokes in his stand-up routine.

After moving to New York City, Oliver began performing stand-up comedy in clubs, later headlining shows in larger venues. From October 2007 to May 2015, Oliver co-hosted The Bugle, a weekly comedy podcast, with Andy Zaltzman. Originally produced by The Times, it became an independent project in 2012. In 2008, John Oliver: Terrifying Times, his first stand-up special, premiered on Comedy Central. In 2009, Comedy Central announced that it would be ordering six episodes of the John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show, a series on Comedy Central that featured sets from himself and other comedians, including Janeane Garofalo, Brian Posehn, Paul F. Tompkins and Marc Maron. From 2010 to 2013, four seasons were produced. In 2013, he went to Afghanistan on a USO tour to perform for the troops. Oliver continues to perform stand-up.

Oliver had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Community as the professor of psychology Ian Duncan. Owing to his work at The Daily Show, he declined the offer to become a regular member of the cast, and did not appear in the third, fourth, or sixth seasons, but returned in season five, appearing in seven of its thirteen episodes. In 2008, Oliver played Dick Pants in The Love Guru, his first film role. He later voiced Vanity Smurf in The Smurfs film and its sequel. Oliver performed several roles in the 2009 Comedy Central series Important Things with Demetri Martin. In 2009, Oliver made a cameo appearance in the music video for The Fiery Furnaces' single "Even in the Rain".

Starting in June 2013, Oliver guest-hosted The Daily Show for eight weeks while Stewart directed his film Rosewater. Oliver's performance received positive reviews, with some critics suggesting that he should eventually succeed Stewart as the host, or receive his own show. CBS discussed the possibility of Oliver replacing Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show. Three months after his role as the interim Daily Show host ended, HBO announced it was giving Oliver his own late-night show.

2014–present: ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver''

In 2014, Oliver began hosting his late-night news satire show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The show features thoroughly researched segments dedicated to topics or events in the news. His initial two-year contract was extended through to 2017 in 2015, to 2020 in September 2017, to 2023 in September 2020, and to 2026 in December 2023. Oliver has stated that he has full creative freedom, including free rein to criticise corporations, given HBO's ad-free subscription model. In 2015, Oliver was named one of Time 100 influential people of the year for his work on the show. Across the TV airings, DVR, on-demand, and HBO Go, Last Week Tonight averaged 4.1 million weekly viewers in its first season. In 2014, Last Week Tonight was honoured with a Peabody Award in the "Entertainment" category for "bringing satire and journalism even closer together". The show received a second award in 2017. The show has also won 26 Primetime Emmy Awards, five Writers Guild of America Awards, eight Producers Guild Awards, and three Critics' Choice Television Awards.

Oliver has guest-starred in several TV shows, including The Simpsons as Booth Wilkes-John (2014); Gravity Falls as the voice of Sherlock Holmes (2012); Rick and Morty as an amoeba named Dr Xenon Bloom (2013); Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja as the voice of Coach Green (2012–15); My Hero as a man from the BBC (2001); Green Wing as a car salesman (2004); Big Mouth as the camp counsellor Harry (2020); and Bob's Burgers as a cat agent (2017). Oliver was originally cast in 2010 to star in the Terry Jones film Absolutely Anything as Neil Clarke, but scheduling conflicts due to the debut of Last Week Tonight in 2014 led to the role being recast for Simon Pegg. In 2019, Oliver voiced the porcupine Steve in the CGI animated film Wonder Park and hornbill Zazu in the remake of Disney's The Lion King. From 2018 to 2019, Oliver worked as an executive producer for Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas. On 30 August 2023, Oliver began hosting the comedy podcast Strike Force Five with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers, to support their staff members out of work due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

Influences

Oliver has said that among his comedic influences are Armando Iannucci, David Letterman, Monty Python, Peter Cook, Richard Pryor, and Jon Stewart. Oliver said regarding Monty Python, "I saw Life of Brian in middle school, when a substitute teacher put it on to keep us quiet on a rainy day ... I've never forgotten how it made me feel". Edward Helmore wrote in The Guardian about Oliver's comedy, "His style leans toward the kind that Americans like best from the British – exaggerated, full of odd accents and mannerisms, in the vein of Monty Python." Oliver describes his own accent as a "mongrel" of Brummie, Scouse, and Bedford influences.

Views

Oliver was opposed to Brexit, writing multiple pieces about it and calling it "painful, it's pointless, and most of you didn't even agree to run it; you were just signed up by your dumbest friend". He stated that it was "sad" to consider that his children with British citizenship would not experience the benefits of the EU. He has been particularly critical of the Conservative Party and of its former leader Boris Johnson's premiership. He also criticised the Royal Family's secrecy concerning their wealth, calling them "a freeloading multimillionaire family exempt from paying most taxes" and stating that "the Royal Family's wealthunlike its gene poolis massive". He supports abolishing the British monarchy and making Britain a republic, and declined an OBE. On a September 2022 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, he said he declined it because he did not want his name being associated with the words "British Empire" and expressed distaste for the British class system.

Oliver favoured Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election and celebrated Biden's victory over Donald Trump. He warned that "more than 70 million people voted for [Trump] and everything he said and stands for, and that is something we are going to have to reckon with for the foreseeable future". He has been strongly critical of Trump and the Republican Party, later endorsing Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election. Politico argued that Oliver criticised liberal politicians as much as those on the right.

Legacy

Reception and the "John Oliver effect"

Oliver's comedic commentary has been credited with influencing US legislation, regulations, court rulings, and other aspects of US culture; this has been dubbed the "John Oliver effect". This came from the show's fifth episode, which dealt with net neutrality, a subject that had previously been considered obscure and technical. Oliver documented problems attributed to Internet service providers and argued that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could resolve these concerns with upcoming changes to Internet regulation. Oliver then encouraged viewers to submit public comments through the FCC's website. The FCC's website promptly crashed. Internal FCC emails revealed that the clip was being watched inside the agency. The FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler publicly addressed the video.

The day after the broadcast, the FCC had received over 45,000 comments on net neutrality; in total, it received 3.7 million comments on the subject, by far the most for any issue in the agency's history. Reporters detected a shift in the FCC's stance: Before Oliver's segment, The New York Times described an FCC proposal that would leave net neutrality "all but dead", but the paper later said that Wheeler showed "a steady shift toward stronger regulation". A study conducted in 2018 found that viewers of Last Week Tonight and The Colbert Report were generally more familiar with net neutrality than non-viewers; Last Week Tonight viewers were also more likely to support strict regulation to ensure net neutrality. In the end, the FCC enacted robust net neutrality rules that classified the broadband Internet service as a public utility. Oliver was credited with transforming the net neutrality debate.

A Ninth Circuit Court judge cited a Last Week Tonight segment about the lesser constitutional rights of residents of US territories in a ruling in favour of the residents of Guam. Members of Congress credited Oliver with helping to win a vote to enforce protections for chicken farmers who speak out about industry practices, after a Last Week Tonight segment on the subject. A Washington, D.C., council member proposed a resolution in Oliver's honour after he aired a segment on the district's struggle to attain statehood. A study published in 2022 found that "calls for action" by Oliver in seasons seven and eight of Last Week Tonight raised over $5 million for charities and other causes.

Oliver maintains that he is not a journalist, but reporters have contended that his show is a form of journalism. The Peabody Awards honoured Oliver, saying his programme engages in "investigative reports that 'real' news programs would do well to emulate". One example of Oliver's investigative work is a segment on the Miss America organization, which bills itself as "the world's largest provider of scholarships for women". Oliver's team, which includes four researchers with journalism backgrounds, collected and analysed the organization's state and federal tax returns to find that its scholarship programme only distributes a small fraction of the claimed "$45 million made available annually". Oliver said that at the national level, the Miss America Organization and Miss America Foundation together spent only $482,000 in cash scholarships in 2012. the official YouTube video of Oliver's Miss America segment has been viewed more than 24 million times. The Society of Women Engineers said Oliver's reference to their scholarship led to $25,000 in donations over the subsequent two days.

Oliver also founded and legally incorporated a church, Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, to demonstrate how easy it is to qualify as a church and receive tax-exempt status in the United States. The church was created in conjunction with a segment on televangelists who have tax-free mansions and private jets funded by millions of dollars in donations, which are sent in the belief that money given to televangelists can result in God rewarding donors with money, blessings, and by curing diseases. The next week, Oliver showed off the large quantity of donations posted to him, which included $70,000 in cash, a large cheque, and other gifts. The church's website stated that donations would go to Doctors Without Borders upon the church's dissolution.

Oliver's February 2016 segment on presidential candidate Donald Trump received 62 million views on Facebook and 23 million on YouTube within a month, and was reportedly the "most watched piece of HBO content ever". A network spokesperson said that this was "a record for any piece of HBO content". In 2018 on Last Week Tonight, Oliver presented the children's book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo, a parody of Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President. A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo featured Marlon Bundo, the pet rabbit of 48th US Vice President Mike Pence, in a gay relationship. During the 2023 Reddit API controversy, the major subreddits r/pics, r/gifs, and r/aww, among others, protested at Reddit's API policy changes by only allowing content containing Oliver.

John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward

In May 2018, actor Russell Crowe donated approximately $80,000 to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital for the creation and naming of "The John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward". Oliver had previously bought in an auction several film props that had been used by Crowe, including his jockstrap from Cinderella Man, which he sent to one of the last Alaskan Blockbuster Video shops for exhibition. Crowe then donated the proceeds from the auction towards the establishment of the Chlamydia Ward named after Oliver, calling it "a cool way" to honour him. Covering the story on his show, Oliver admitted admiration for the gag: "Well played, Russell Crowe. Well played indeed. That may honestly be the greatest thing I've ever seen." Crowe visited the ward in early 2020, posing with the nameplate bearing Oliver's name.

John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant

Main article: John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant

In August 2020, the mayor of Danbury, Connecticut, Mark Boughton, announced in a Facebook video his intention to rename the Danbury Water Pollution Control Plant as the "John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant" as a comedic symbol of his displeasure at Oliver's hyperbolic insult to the city during a segment concerning alleged racial disparities in a jury selection process. After reporting that Connecticut jury rolls had excluded two entire towns, Oliver said, "If you're going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury?" Oliver then humorously offered to "thrash" the entire town, including its children.

As a response to Boughton's video, Oliver embraced the idea enthusiastically, promising to donate $55,000 to Danbury charities if the city renamed the sewage plant after him. After the city council voted 18–1 in favour of naming the plant after him, Oliver visited Danbury to attend the unveiling ceremony on 8 October 2020 in person, wearing a hazmat suit. Mayor Boughton had made Oliver's personal attendance a condition for the renaming, and Oliver complied, revealing footage of his trip on Last Week Tonight the following week.

Personal life

Oliver met Kate Norley, an Iraq War veteran who served as a medic in the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, at the 2008 Republican National Convention; he was reporting for The Daily Show and she was campaigning with Vets for Freedom, then led by Pete Hegseth. She and other veterans hid Oliver, the other correspondents, and the camera crew from security. The two were married in October 2011 and reside in New York City. They have two sons, one born prematurely in 2015 and the other born in 2018.* For the marriage date:

• For the child born prematurely:
• For the birth date of the first child:
• For the birth date of the second child: Oliver occasionally wears a 1st Cavalry Division lapel pin in honour of Norley.

Oliver's immigration status when he joined The Daily Show in 2006 placed certain constraints on what he could do in the United States, but also provided him with comedy material as he poked fun at the opacity and occasional absurdity of the process of obtaining US residency. During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, which temporarily stopped production of The Daily Show, Oliver participated in picketing protests; he appeared on the show upon its resuming production on 7 January 2008. During a sketch, he pointed out that he was then in America on a visitor visa that requires him not to strike while the show is in production, as violation of the terms of the visa would be grounds for deportation.

In an episode of The Bugle released on 2 November 2009 and recorded three days earlier, Oliver announced that he was approved for his US green card, noting that now he can "get arrested filming bits for The Daily Show". Oliver says he was given a scare while applying at the US embassy in London when an immigration officer asked, "Give me one good reason I should let you back in to insult my country" before following up with, "Oh, I'm just kidding, I love the show." Since then, he has referred to Americans as "us" or "you" based on what each segment has demanded. Oliver was naturalized as a US citizen on 13 December 2019. Since moving to the United States, he has been a fan of the New York Mets. He has said that being a New York Yankees fan would be the "wrong thing to do morally".

Oliver's philanthropy includes an on-air giveaway in which he forgave over $15 million of medical debt owed by over 9,000 people. He purchased the debt for $60,000 and forgave it on his show on 4 June 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Oliver won three Primetime Emmy Awards, one WGA Award, and one Grammy Award for his work at The Daily Show. For Last Week Tonight, he has received twenty Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, eight PGA Awards, and six WGA Awards.WGA Awards:

• Oliver has also received nominations for his writing on the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and for hosting Last Week Tonight. In 2021, Oliver received the Great Immigrants Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Published works

References

1. Bierman, Elizabeth. (16 April 2015). "John Oliver, the 100 Most Influential People".
2. Guthrie, Marisa. (29 January 2020). "Watch Out, America: John Oliver Is Officially a U.S. Citizen Now". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
3. Parker, Ryan. (6 April 2021). "John Cena Jokes About the Difficulty of Sharing a Birthday With John Oliver".
4. Usborne, David. (7 April 2010). "Made in Manhattan: John Oliver On Taking Satire Stateside". [[The Independent]].
5. Meyers, Seth. (2023-07-25). "John Oliver Camped for Two Human Weeks". Simplecast.
6. Cummings, Pip. (6 March 2015). "''Last Week Tonight'' Host John Oliver's Fascination With Tony Abbott, John Howard, Tim Fischer". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
7. Kamp, David. (15 January 2015). "John Oliver Is Horrified by Massages and Is a 'Committed Coward': What You Should Know About the Host of ''Last Week Tonight''".
8. (23 July 2007). "From Our Own Correspondent". [[The Guardian]].
9. Gross, Terry. (7 March 2018). "John Oliver Finds Humor in the News No One Wants to Hear About".
10. Bean, Alan. (19 March 2018). "Saving John Oliver: 10 Suggestions for Retaining Young People in the Church".
11. "Cambridge Footlights Alumni, 1990–1999". [[Cambridge Footlights]].
12. Freeman, Hadley. (19 October 2012). "David Mitchell: Goodbye Lonely Nerd". [[The Guardian]].
13. (20 June 1998). "The Footlights lose their shine".
14. "Reporter 8/7/98: Congregations of the Regent House on 26 and 27 June 1998". [[Cambridge University Reporter]].
15. Berry, Jillian A.. (25 April 2008). "Oliver's Twist on These 'Terrifying Times'". [[MIT]].
16. Hunter, Steve. (21 July 2016). "My dad told me, always remember Istanbul". [[Liverpool Football Club]].
17. Fadroski, Kelli Skye. (23 November 2010). "''Daily Show'' Star John Oliver Heads to Irvine". [[Orange County Register]].
18. Late Night with Seth Meyers. (19 February 2019). "John Oliver's First On-Camera Role Was a British Stereotype". [[NBCUniversal]].
19. Late Night with Seth Meyers. (13 April 2021). "John Oliver Reacts to Prince Philip's Passing". [[NBCUniversal]].
20. Czajkowski, Elise. (22 July 2013). "A Look Back at John Oliver's Pre-''Daily Show'' Work". [[New York (magazine).
21. Horgan, Richard. (25 September 2016). "The John Oliver Origins Story". [[Adweek]].
22. Hall, Julian. (24 August 2011). "Political Animal, The Stand, Edinburgh".
23. (8 April 2003). "''The State We're In'': Meet the Team". [[BBC News]].
24. "HBO's New Late-Night Host John Oliver Reveals His 5 Comedic Influences". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
25. Wakeman, Gregory. (12 March 2018). "John Oliver's Mentor Recalls the Comedian's Origins".
26. "''The Department''".
27. Guthrie, Marisa. (16 April 2014). "John Oliver on the Luxurious 'Freedom' of HBO, His Complicated Relationship With NYC". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
28. Carter, Bill. (23 April 2014). "Now Nattering on His Own Throne". [[The New York Times]].
29. "Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series - 2009". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
30. "Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series - 2011". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
31. "Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series - 2012". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
32. (21 May 2007). "Translated From the British". Television Week.
33. Borden, Jane. (8 February 2007). "Oliver Twisted". [[Time Out New York]].
34. "''The Bugle'': Audio Newspaper for a Visual World". [[The Times]].
35. Shephard, Alex. (3 June 2014). "John Oliver Has Left ''The Bugle'', the World's Best Podcast.".
36. "John Oliver Shares His Terrifying Times". TVGuide.com.
37. "John Oliver special targets media, politics, mindless consumers". New Bedford Standard-Times.
38. Hale, Mike. (19 April 2008). "Standing Up, a Briton Mocks Britain". [[The New York Times]].
39. Kondolojy, Amanda. (15 July 2013). "John Oliver and Friends Are Back with ''John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show'' Season 4 Premiere on July 26".
40. Martin, Denise. (18 November 2009). ["Comedy Central Gives John Oliver His Own Standup Comedy Series"](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/comedy-central-gives-john-oliver-his-own-stand-up-comedy-series.html <!--). [[Los Angeles Times]].
41. "John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show".
42. (30 January 2015). "Watch John Oliver Explain Why He Tased Himself for the Troops".
43. (30 January 2015). "John Oliver's Shocking Display For U.S. Troops". [[WPTV]].
44. "John Oliver: Tour Dates 2023".
45. Pearis, Bill. (5 June 2023). "John Oliver & Seth Meyers plot separate stand-up tours, playing NYC together".
46. Ryan, Patrick. (31 December 2013). "John Oliver resumes his ''Community'' tenure".
47. Ryan, Patrick. (9 December 2013). "Sneak peek: John Oliver returns to ''Community''".
48. Fenster, Jordan. (19 August 2020). "Danbury Hockey Team Hits Back at Comedian John Oliver". [[The News-Times]].
49. (28 April 2010). "''Smurfs'' Casting Update: ''SNL'' Cast and John Oliver Join Voice Cast".
50. (19 August 2009). "Comedy Central(R) Home Entertainment Releases 'Important Things With Demetri Martin: Season One' DVD -- Hitting Stores on Tuesday, September 8'". [[Paramount Global.
51. Breihan, Tom. (3 December 2009). "Video Premiere: The Fiery Furnaces: 'Even in the Rain'".
52. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (5 March 2013). "Update: Jon Stewart Taking Summer ''Daily Show'' Hiatus to Direct First Film and 'Challenge' Himself, John Oliver to Sub".
53. Paskin, Willa. (14 June 2013). "Jon Stewart Who?: John Oliver's ''Daily Show'' Is Almost Too Good". [[Salon (website).
54. Grant, Drew. (28 June 2013). "''The Daily Show'' Down: Why John Oliver Is the Best Thing to Happen to Late Night Since Colbert". [[New York Observer]].
55. Carlson, Erin. (11 June 2013). "''Daily Show'': John Oliver Makes Hilarious Debut as Host". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
56. Molloy, Tim. (10 June 2013). "Review: John Oliver's ''Daily Show'' Is Sharp as Ever".
57. Fox, Jesse David. (15 August 2013). "We Can Now Consider John Oliver ''The Daily Show''{{'}}s Heir Apparent". [[New York (magazine).
58. Busis, Hillary. (16 August 2013). "John Oliver Bids Farewell to ''Daily Show'' Hosting Gig – How'd He Do?".
59. Holpuch, Amanda. (11 June 2013). "John Oliver Hosts ''The Daily Show'' Without Jon Stewart – Triumphantly". [[The Guardian]].
60. Andreeva, Nellie. (14 November 2013). "''Daily Show''{{'}}s John Oliver to Host Weekly Comedy Talk Show For HBO".
61. Patten, Dominic. (12 February 2014). "HBO Sets Name & Date For John Oliver Debut".
62. Becker, Amy B.. (30 November 2022). "John Oliver as the Pandemic Fundraiser? Championing Causes and Political Participation Through Satirical Television". Social Media + Society.
63. Steinberg, Brian. (17 February 2015). "John Oliver Will Stay at HBO Through 2017". [[Variety (magazine).
64. Luckerson, Victor. (17 February 2015). "''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' Gets 2 More Seasons".
65. Koblin, John. (12 September 2017). "John Oliver Extends HBO Contract Through 2020". [[The New York Times]].
66. Thorne, Will. (14 September 2020). "John Oliver's ''Last Week Tonight'' Renewed by HBO Through 2023".
67. Otterson, Joe. (5 December 2023). "''Last Week Tonight With John Oliver'' Renewed for Three More Seasons at HBO".
68. O'Connell, Michael. (9 September 2014). "John Oliver's Talk Show Ratings Edging Out HBO Colleague Bill Maher". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
69. (2014). "''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (HBO)". [[The Peabody Awards]].
70. Ryan, Maureen. (16 April 2015). "Peabody Awards Go To ''Last Week Tonight'', ''Jane the Virgin'', ''The Americans'' and Other Shows". [[HuffPost]].
71. (2017). "''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (HBO)". Peabody Awards.
72. Brockington, Ariana. (19 April 2018). "''Handmaid's Tale'', ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' Among Peabody Entertainment, Youth Winners".
73. "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
74. (1 February 2020). "WGA Awards: ''Parasite'' and ''Jojo Rabbit'' Among Film Winners".
75. (26 February 2023). "PGA Awards: ''Everything Everywhere All At Once'' Takes Best Picture; ''The White Lotus'', ''The Bear'', ''The Dropout'' Top TV Heap – Complete Winners List".
76. (15 January 2023). "Critics' Choice Awards 2023 Full Winners List: ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'', ''Abbott Elementary'' and ''Better Call Saul'' Take Top Honors". [[Variety (magazine).
77. (11 May 2014). "''The Simpsons'': 'Pay Pal'".
78. Wiese, Jason. (10 October 2020). "9 John Oliver Movie And TV Appearances You Probably Forgot About".
79. "''Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja''".
80. McLean, Tom. (12 September 2013). "''Randy Cunningham'' Season 2 Starts Production".
81. Eames, Tom. (10 August 2017). "''My Hero'' Started 17 years Ago – Where Are the Cast Now?".
82. "John Oliver".
83. Spencer, Samuel. (4 December 2020). "All the New And Returning Voice Cast Members in ''Big Mouth'' Season 4".
84. (14 September 2010). "John Oliver To Star In ''Absolutely Anything'', Robin Williams and Monty Python Cast In Talks". CinemaBlend.
85. (11 December 2013). "Simon Pegg Joins Monty Python Members in ''Absolutely Anything''". [[Slashfilm]].
86. Scheck, Frank. (14 March 2019). "''Wonder Park'': Film Review".
87. (10 July 2017). "John Oliver Joins Disney's Live-Action ''The Lion King'' (Exclusive)".
88. Malone, Michael. (16 October 2017). "Wyatt Cenac to Star in John Oliver Docu-Series on HBO". [[Broadcasting & Cable]].
89. Sippell, Margeaux. (7 June 2019). "''Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas'' Canceled by HBO After 2 Seasons".
90. Horton, Adrian. (30 August 2023). "Strike Force Five: what happens when late-night TV hosts make a podcast?". [[The Guardian]].
91. Rancilio, Alicia. (30 August 2023). "Late-night Hosts Team Pp for 'Strike Force Five' Podcast to Benefit Their Out-of-Work Staff".
92. Spangler, Todd. (29 August 2023). "Late-Night Hosts Hook Up for Spotify Podcast With Proceeds to Benefit Unemployed Staffers During Writers Strike".
93. (17 April 2015). "How John Oliver Became an American Star". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
94. Oliver, John. (7 January 2019). "John Oliver on Monty Python: 'Inspirational Idiots Who Changed Comedy'". [[The Guardian]].
95. Marsh, Steve. (7 June 2013). "John Oliver on Hosting ''The Daily Show'' and Being Less of a Mean Brit While Doing So". [[New York (magazine).
96. Smith, David. (10 February 2022). "John Oliver: 'Maybe Brexit Is a Great Idea. There's Absolutely Nothing to Suggest That'". [[The Guardian]].
97. Reed, Ryan. (29 July 2022). "John Oliver Blasts British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: 'He Is a Liar'".
98. (14 November 2022). "John Oliver Goes There In Relentless Takedown Of British Royal Family".
99. Horton, Adrian. (14 November 2022). "John Oliver On British Monarchy: 'Like An Appendix. We've Long Evolved Past Needing Them'". [[The Guardian]].
100. (1 January 2022). "From Skepta to David Bowie – The Celebrities Who Turned Down New Year's Honours". [[The Independent]].
101. (27 January 2023). "From Alan Cumming to David Bowie – the celebrities who said no to OBEs".
102. (November 2020). "John Oliver Takes a Moment to Celebrate Biden's Election Win: Like 'A Reverse 9/11'".
103. Horton, Adrian. (7 November 2022). "John Oliver On Republicans and Voting: 'If I Lose, It's Rigged, If I Win, It's Fine'". [[The Guardian]].
104. Symons, A.. (2019). "Trump's Media War". Palgrave Macmillan.
105. Shafer, Ellise. (4 November 2024). "John Oliver Fights Back Tears Urging Viewers to Vote for Kamala Harris: 'Wouldn't It Be Great to Live in a World' Where Trump Is 'No Longer an Active Threat?'".
106. (14 February 2022). "John Oliver's Recipe for Comedy in the Biden Years".
107. (20 January 2015). "How the 'John Oliver Effect' Is Having a Real-Life Impact".
108. Krutkowski, S.. (2019). "Libraries Promoting Reflective Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization". ACRL Publications.
109. (26 February 2015). "How John Oliver Transformed the Net Neutrality Debate Once and for All". [[Bloomberg News.
110. (3 June 2014). "John Oliver's Rant About Net Neutrality Crashes FCC Site".
111. (13 November 2014). "Read the FCC's Internal Emails About John Oliver's Net Neutrality Segment".
112. Risen, Tom. (13 June 2014). "FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: 'I Am Not a Dingo'".
113. (2018). "Go Fix It: Comedy as an Agent of Political Activation". [[Social Science Quarterly]].
114. (16 September 2014). "FCC Received a Total of 3.7 Million Comments on Net Neutrality".
115. (2018). "'Seize Your Moment, My Lovely Trolls': News, Satire, and Public Opinion About Net Neutrality". [[International Journal of Communication]].
116. (23 April 2014). "F.C.C., In a Shift, Backs Fast Lanes for Web Traffic".
117. Lohr, Steve. (4 February 2015). "F.C.C. Plans Strong Hand to Regulate the Internet".
118. (26 February 2015). "F.C.C. Approves Net Neutrality Rules, Classifying Broadband Internet Service as a Utility". [[The New York Times]].
119. (27 August 2015). "The Ninth Circuit Hearts John Oliver".
120. Proctor, Katherine. (26 August 2015). "9th Cir. Rips Guam for Keeping Tax Refunds".
121. (19 June 2015). "Comedian Influences Ag Bill, Members of Congress Say".
122. (18 June 2015). "Ag Spending Bill Contains Big Win to Protect Rights for Chicken Farmers After Viral John Oliver Video Brought Attention to Their Plight". [[United States House of Representatives]].
123. Giambrone, Andrew. (5 August 2015). "The John Oliver Effect".
124. (13 May 2015). "John Oliver Rejects the Notion That He's a Respected Journalist".
125. Poniewozik, James. (17 November 2014). "Unfortunately, John Oliver, You Are a Journalist".
126. Suebsaeng, Asawin. (29 September 2014). "''Last Week Tonight'' Does Real Journalism, No Matter What John Oliver Says". [[The Daily Beast]].
127. (26 September 2014). "Oliver Adds Journalism to His Comedy".
128. (16 April 2015). "Peabody Awards Go To John Oliver, Amy Schumer, ''Jane the Virgin''".
129. (24 September 2014). "John Oliver's Devastating Takedown of Miss America Has a Local Angle".
130. (4 February 2015). "Seven Things We Learned at Breakfast with John Oliver". [[Los Angeles Times]].
131. (22 September 2014). "Video: John Oliver Shreds Miss America's Claim To Be 'Leading Provider' Of Scholarships To Women".
132. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. (21 September 2014). "Miss America Pageant". [[HBO]].
133. (24 September 2014). "'John Oliver bounce' benefits Chicago-based women's engineering group".
134. (17 August 2015). "John Oliver Forms His Own Church and Just Keeps On Winning".
135. "John Oliver's Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption Church".
136. (17 August 2015). "John Oliver Starts His Own Church to Expose 'Predatory' Televangelists". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
137. (24 August 2015). "John Oliver Inundated with Donations After Setting Up Fake Church to Make a Point About Tax-Dodging Televangelists".
138. (30 March 2016). "John Oliver's 'Donald Drumpf' Segment Broke Every HBO Viewing Record".
139. (30 March 2016). "Even John Oliver Enjoys a Drumpf Bump".
140. (22 March 2018). "John Oliver's Gay Rabbit Book Parody Outsells Mike Pence's Original On Amazon". [[The Guardian]].
141. Peters, Jay. (17 June 2023). "Two of the Biggest Reddit Communities Reopened in the Funniest Way Possible". [[The Verge]].
142. Fung, Brian. (23 June 2023). "Reddit Users Bombard Site with John Oliver Pictures in Latest Protest Over New Policy".
143. (8 May 2018). "Russell Crowe Names Koala Chlamydia Clinic After John Oliver". [[The Guardian]].
144. Sharf, Zack. (2018-04-16). "John Oliver Bought Russell Crowe's Jockstrap to Help Save One of America's Last Blockbuster Video Stores".
145. Lieu, Johnny. (7 May 2018). "Congratulations, John Oliver, On the Koala Chlamydia Ward Named After You".
146. Kwai, Isabella. (8 May 2018). "Everything You (and John Oliver) Need to Know About Koala Chlamydia". [[The New York Times]].
147. Crowe, Russell. "Where am I now?".
148. Bowker, Brittany. (31 August 2020). "John Oliver Offers to Donate $55,000 if Danbury Actually Names Sewer Plant after Him".
149. [[Last Week Tonight with John Oliver]]. (17 August 2020). "Juries". [[HBO]].
150. Kiefer, Halle. (23 August 2020). "Danbury, Connecticut Names Sewage Plant After John Oliver".
151. (23 August 2020). "Danbury Mayor Names Sewage Plant After John Oliver Following ''Last Week Tonight''{{'}}s Story On Jury Selection In Connecticut".
152. (31 August 2020). "John Oliver Says He'll Donate $55,000 if Connecticut City Names Sewage Plant After Him". [[The Guardian]].
153. (19 October 2020). "Danbury Renames Sewer Plant for Comedian John Oliver".
154. (7 September 2020). "City of Danbury Won't Waste John Oliver's Donation, on One Condition".
155. Zimmerman, Amy. (18 July 2016). "How John Oliver Found Love in a Hopeless Place: The Republican National Convention". [[The Daily Beast]].
156. Silverstein, Ken. (10 May 2017). "The John Oliver Property Tax Scam: HBO Comedian Secretly Buys Manhattan Mansion".
157. Slonim, Jeffrey. (3 October 2010). "''The Daily Show''{{'}}s John Oliver Is Engaged". [[People (magazine).
158. Late Show with David Letterman. (4 June 2013). "John Oliver Asks For Dave's Advice". [[CBS]].
159. Schaffstall, Katherine. (11 February 2020). "John Oliver Opens Up About the 'Petrifying' Process of Becoming a U.S. Citizen".
160. (7 June 2013). "John Oliver: A Very British Coup". [[The Guardian]].
161. Signore, John Del. (15 November 2007). "John Oliver, Writer". [[Gothamist]].
162. (8 January 2008). "Olivers on the Strike".
163. Wright, Tom. (31 October 2009). "''The Bugle'' #94: Does the EU really want El Presidente Blair?". [[The Times]].
164. (26 May 2019). "Oliver Talks Loyalty to Mets". [[MLB]].
165. Young, Dennis. (26 May 2019). "John Oliver On Yankees Fandom: 'Just Not OK...The Wrong Thing To Do Morally'".
166. Kasperkevic, Jana. (6 June 2016). "John Oliver Buys and Forgives $15m Worth of Medical Debt".
167. (20 June 2008). "''The Love Guru''".
168. Breihan, Tom. (24 February 2011). "''The New Pornographers'': 'Moves'".
169. "''The Smurfs''".
170. "John Oliver (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
171. (31 July 2013). "''The Smurfs 2''".
172. "''The Smurfs: The Legend of Smurfy Hollow''".
173. (17 June 2001). "''People Like Us'': The Bank Manager".
174. "''The Comic Side of 7 Days'' (2004)".
175. "''John Oliver: Terrifying Times''".
176. Boyle, Michael. (17 August 2022). "What Happened To Professor Duncan On Community?".
177. Faires, Robert. (19 November 2010). "John Oliver: Carry On, Correspondent".
178. "''John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show''".
179. "''Robot Chicken'': Season 7, Episode 1".
180. "''Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee'': Season 8, Episode 6".
181. Beaumont-Thomas. (13 July 2015). "Crumbs! Lena Headey and John Oliver Join ''Danger Mouse'' Remake".
182. Heritage, Stuart. (3 November 2022). "''The Horne Section'' TV Show Review – This Riotously Fun Sitcom Is an Utter Delight". [[The Guardian]].
183. "''Helpsters'' – Episodes & Images".
184. "John Oliver". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
185. (20 February 2010). "Winners Announced for 2010 Writers Guild Awards". [[Writers Guild of America]].
186. "2010 Grammy Winners". [[Grammy Awards]].
187. "John Oliver".
188. (2014). "''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (HBO)". [[Peabody Awards]].
189. (26 February 2023). "PGA Awards: ''Everything Everywhere All At Once'' Takes Best Picture; ''The White Lotus'', ''The Bear'', ''The Dropout'' Top TV Heap – Complete Winners List".
190. (11 May 2011). "The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Announces the 38th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award nominations". [[National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences]].
191. (20 January 2015). "Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Name Boyhood Film of the Year; Transparent is Tops in TV With 5 Awards". [[Out (magazine).
192. Bell, Crystal. (6 April 2017). "Here Are Your 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominations: See The Full List". [[MTV]].
193. (2021). "John Oliver".