John Oliver's razor-sharp wit takes center stage as we countdown his most brutal and hilarious takedowns. From political figures to controversial institutions, Oliver's comedic precision dismantles hypocrisy with surgical humor that will leave you both laughing and thinking.
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00:00Touch your hand to the screen right now, and we shall cure it."
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best takedowns from
00:07John Oliver, England's greatest comedian and least impressive Zazu.
00:10I'm asking America to make Donald's drumpf again.
00:1510. Dr. Oz and Dietary Supplements
00:18One of John Oliver's earliest takedowns involved one of America's most famous wizards.
00:22Now I've got the number one miracle in a bottle to burn your fat.
00:26Lightning in a bottle. It's a miracle flower to fight fat.
00:30Miracle flowers? Are you a doctor or an Old West traveling salesman?
00:35Dr. Oz is well-known for promoting various dietary and nutritional supplements,
00:39with eye-catching phrases like,
00:40"...miracle in a bottle," and
00:41"...magic weight loss cure."
00:43Name me one case where a man named Oz claimed mystical powers and led people horribly astray.
00:48Name me one case. You can't do it.
00:51The episode highlights both Oz's success and hypocrisy,
00:53given his 2014 admission to Congress that the pills are not likely to be fully effective
00:57without diet and exercise. Oliver also addresses the lack of dietary supplement
01:02industry regulation that allowed Oz to legally promote these products.
01:05The FTC is supposed to regulate the marketing of supplements, but by their own admission,
01:10they give great deference to the FDA on whether a company's health claim can be supported.
01:16The problem with that is the FDA has little authority to investigate the contents of
01:20supplements until people are already getting sick from them.
01:24One attempt at a regulation in the early 90s failed due to intense lobbying,
01:28public outcry, and a Mel Gibson PSA.
01:309. Miss America Pageant
01:32It's one of America's classic intuitions, where young women in bikinis and evening gowns are
01:37asked questions normally reserved for presidential debates.
01:39The U.S. policy is to leave no soldier behind.
01:43Do you think it's fair to sacrifice or swap lives in order to uphold this policy?
01:47What?
01:50I totally agree with the guy in the background there.
01:53As shown in this episode, its legacy has been tarnished by offensive judging criteria
01:57and enclosed-minded entry requirements.
01:59So, to qualify for a scholarship, you'll need to certify not just that you've never been married,
02:04but also that you are not now pregnant and never have been.
02:08Which, of course, makes sense. Miss America is supposed to be a role model for children.
02:13How can she be that if she's got a child in tow who's constantly looking up to her?
02:17It's okay, though, because Miss America provides $45 million in scholarships every year.
02:21Except we know they use some twisted math and semantics
02:24to camouflage the fact they give only a fraction of that.
02:27When we contacted Troy, it turns out the pageant got to that $2.6 million
02:31by multiplying the value of a single scholarship by 48,
02:35the number of competitors who could theoretically accept it.
02:39Even though the actual number of contestants who accepted a scholarship that year was,
02:44and you are not going to believe this, zero.
02:47Kathy Griffin closes out the show by hosting the Miss Last Week Tonight pageant,
02:51simultaneously satirizing Miss America and making John really work it.
02:55I look at Giuseppe and I want to have sex with him.
02:57I look at you and I want to have sex with Giuseppe.
02:59Oh, come on, Kathy. I'm a good person, Kathy.
03:028. Brett Kavanaugh
03:03Supreme Court confirmation hearings can often be lengthy, intense,
03:06and in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, a complete circus.
03:09He was the great quarterback on our football team, and his dad ran workouts.
03:16Yeah, he's crying at the memory of lifting weights at his friend Tobin's house.
03:21I hate to say it, but I'm starting to think that men might be too emotional for the Supreme Court.
03:25Oliver gives a detailed breakdown of some of the hearing's most outlandish moments.
03:29We see Kavanaugh getting overly emotional remembering calendars and old workouts,
03:33being aggressive when questioned by senators, and spouting conspiracy theories.
03:37This allegation was unleashed and publicly deployed over Dr. Ford's wishes.
03:45And then, and then, as no doubt was expected, if not planned,
03:52came a long series of false last-minute smears.
03:57At one point, Oliver even compares the judge's testimony to a cover of Mambo No. 5,
04:01moments before mocking him over Rhode Island boat fights.
04:04I mean, come on! Do I seem like exactly the type of person who would get into a fight on a boat
04:09in Rhode Island? Seriously! You tell me!
04:12This is presented in contrast to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified with composure,
04:17even when being unnecessarily questioned on marginally relevant issues.
04:21Did you pay for the polygraph yourself?
04:24I don't, I don't, I don't think so.
04:27Okay. Do you know who did pay for the polygraph?
04:29Not yet, no.
04:30Republican senators were not spared either, with Oliver calling out Orrin Hatch's
04:34disingenuous or insulting remarks in Lindsey Graham's failed Yellowstone audition.
04:39You're looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend.
04:45Okay, first of all, Lindsey Graham sounds like the least intimidating sheriff in the
04:50entire Wild West. You turn back around and get back on your horse, Mr. Man.
04:557. Brexit
04:57The 2016 Brexit referendum sent shockwaves throughout the world. Therefore,
05:00it's not surprising that John Oliver dedicated multiple episodes to the topic.
05:04On Thursday, the UK faces an in-out referendum on whether to leave the European Union.
05:10The videos covered a motley of topics, starting with discussing the initial referendum,
05:13the motivations behind it, and its potential consequences.
05:16250,000 dogs and cats go across the British Channel every year.
05:22Trying to work out how the pet passports work, that would take several months of negotiation.
05:27He's right!
05:28Clever analogies helped explain the challenges of Brexit's negotiations and a harder,
05:33soft Brexit. The final video lamented the perils of a no-deal Brexit and a
05:36possible referendum to undo it.
05:38So, what happens if there is no deal? Well, first, ironically,
05:43there will be a hard border in Ireland, the one thing that everyone agrees they don't want.
05:48Throughout his coverage, Oliver lampooned several of the figures involved in Brexit,
05:52including Prime Ministers Nigel Farage, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson. The latter
05:56got his own segment where Oliver dissected his unruly appearances, behaviors, and political
06:01strategies.
06:02How would you go round what's in 5C?
06:04I would confide entirely in paragraph 5B, which is enough for our purposes.
06:09Do you know what's in 5C?
06:09No.
06:11Oh, f---- sake!
06:13That no was delivered with the confidence of a man who doesn't know what he's talking about,
06:19but thinks it doesn't matter.
06:21Number 6. FIFA
06:22Oliver has dedicated multiple episodes to untangling the web of corruption that is FIFA,
06:26soccer's governing body and World Cup organizer.
06:29For American viewers who may never have encountered them,
06:32FIFA is a comically grotesque organization.
06:35He describes how FIFA often runs roughshod over World Cup host nations,
06:39from reversing public safety laws to creating their own courts and demanding universal tax
06:43exemption.
06:43By Brazil's own estimates, they're allowing FIFA to forego $250 million in taxes.
06:50Somewhere, Wesley Snipes is going,
06:52So soccer was the answer!
06:54FIFA also retains non-profit status while having a billion-dollar reserve,
06:58a factor that allowed it to fund one of the worst movies of the 2010s.
07:01The reviews so far have been phenomenal. The Guardian said that,
07:05As cinema, it is excrement. And the New York Times
07:10called it one of the most unwatchable films in recent memory.
07:13And remember, this is the same week the Entourage movie came out.
07:17The second episode delved into the aftermath of the investigation in 2015's Sting operation,
07:23targeting multiple FIFA executives.
07:24Oliver also heavily lambasted FIFA's decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar,
07:29citing its scorching summer heat, lack of initial infrastructure,
07:32and abuse of migrant workers and minorities.
07:35It was very hot in Qatar. It got up to 52 degrees Celsius the first year I was there.
07:42I used to sweat in the exact way as if it was raining from the sky.
07:45You know how hot 52 degrees Celsius is? It's 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
07:52If you build a stadium in that heat, you should get to own it.
07:55Number 5. Tucker Carlson
07:57For years, Tucker Carlson has built a reputation as a pundit asking the tough questions.
08:01While China's military becomes more masculine as it's assembled the world's largest navy,
08:07our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore,
08:11since men and women no longer exist.
08:13This segment breaks down his background, his career and the dangers of his methods.
08:17He's run segments just asking questions, remember, like how exactly is diversity our strength?
08:23And has argued not just that it isn't,
08:25but that it's a threat to our existence as a cohesive country.
08:29The show highlights Carlson's unique skill at delivering white nationalist talking points
08:33to a large audience without using racial slurs or outwardly racist statements.
08:36Several specific examples are shown,
08:38and viewers even see white nationalists praising Carlson and his influence.
08:42Last year, when endorsing Trump for president,
08:44Duke even suggested that Tucker Carlson should be his VP.
08:47Fans of Last Week Tonight know full well that Tucker Carlson is one of John Oliver's favorite
08:52punching bags, and this episode was no different. Oliver calls Carlson a performatively outraged
08:57wedge salad, a walking yacht club and a relentless indignant picket fence.
09:01Relentlessly indignant picket fence.
09:03Number four, Supreme Court and Clarence Thomas.
09:06In this takedown, Oliver discusses the US Supreme Court's longstanding PR crisis.
09:10It's true, and it's hard to think of anything people have less confidence in right now,
09:14aside from maybe the window seats in Boeing planes.
09:17Emboldened by the lack of an enforceable ethics code,
09:20multiple justices have accepted lavish gifts or trips without properly disclosing them.
09:25When it came to light, he said that he didn't think the rules required disclosing it,
09:28and attempted to justify the free private jet flight with a laughable argument.
09:33Alito explaining that on that private jet flight he was in
09:36what would otherwise have been an unoccupied seat.
09:40Oh, come on! Alito is considered one of the sharpest conservative legal minds,
09:45and that's the best he's got?
09:46The segment especially focuses on Clarence Thomas, highlighting his disdain for ethical refusal,
09:51his friendship with several billionaires, and his beloved RV.
09:54Oh no, sorry, excuse us, his motor coach.
09:57An RV is normally built on a light truck chassis.
10:01A motor coach is a tour bus.
10:04I mean, it's old, but it's really nice.
10:07Honestly, if Thomas hadn't caused so much human misery,
10:11him liking big comfy trucks that go vroom vroom would be genuinely charming.
10:15Oliver ended the episode with an unbelievable offer for Thomas.
10:18Leave the Supreme Court in 30 days in exchange for $1 million a year and a brand new motor coach.
10:23Thomas didn't accept the offer, leaving us to imagine what could have been.
10:27How is this legal?
10:29Number 3. Alex Jones
10:31When John Oliver took on Alex Jones, America's loudest and angriest radio host,
10:36viewers got the full context of the man known for peddling some of the nation's most unhinged
10:41conspiracies.
10:41I don't like them putting chemicals in the water that turn the friggin' frogs gay.
10:46Do you understand that?
10:49Oh, shit, crap.
10:51Wow.
10:52If he is that upset about a government conspiracy that is not happening,
10:56just imagine how upset he's going to be when he finds out about one that actually is,
10:59like the fact that the government is turning raccoons bilingual.
11:02They see a savvy businessman using fear and xenophobia to sell
11:05products nearly as ridiculous as his theories.
11:07There is a super male vitality, a super female vitality,
11:11wake up America, Patriot blend coffee, lung cleanse,
11:15brain force plus, something called DNA force that costs $120 a bottle.
11:21Jones often claimed these product sales keep his show afloat while
11:24leading a highly successful business.
11:25At one point, you see the Walter Cronkite of shrieking gorilla clowns,
11:29claiming to wear suits and Rolexes as a bizarre dig on Satanism.
11:32So I dress as a Satanist so that I can enter their world and show you that none of it means anything.
11:40Oh, bulls—
11:42A medical expert with overly exaggerated credentials also makes an appearance.
11:46Oliver ends the segment parodying Jones' products and sales tactics,
11:49though we would be hard-pressed distinguishing the parody from reality.
11:52Just for the record, you did go to MIT, right?
11:55Well, I've definitely physically been there.
11:58That's, that's essentially the same.
12:00That's what I've been telling everybody.
12:01Number two, televangelists.
12:03In one of his more famous episodes, John Oliver highlights the predatory
12:07practices televangelists use to elicit donations that amplify their lavish lifestyle.
12:11If I want to believe God for a $65 million plane, you cannot stop me.
12:17You cannot stop me from dreaming.
12:21You cannot stop me from dreaming is not how you ask for $65 million.
12:26It's what you scream at your father when he tells you you'll never be a Broadway dancer.
12:30I can do it, Dad!
12:31You'll see Creflo Dollar dreaming about private jets,
12:34Mike Murdoch bragging about private jets,
12:36Gloria Copeland disparaging cancer treatment, and Robert Tilton healing people with gibberish.
12:42Lupus, you bow to the name of Jesus.
12:45You go in Jesus' name.
12:48Lupus, you complicated and not especially easy to describe manatee.
12:51You go, Lupus!
12:53You vex us with your foul lupusness.
12:54You go!
12:56Oliver also starts a months-long letter exchange with Tilton that essentially
12:59amounts to the world's most lopsided game of Monopoly.
13:02Here's a dollar and some oils.
13:04Now you owe me 50 bucks.
13:05As of tonight, I have sent him $319 and received 26 letters.
13:11That's almost one a week.
13:12The donations these ministers receive are also usually tax-exempt,
13:16a concept Oliver demonstrated by founding his own church, Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption.
13:21The purely satirical and completely legal church lasted about a month
13:24and collected thousands of dollars in donations.
13:27We need you to sow your biggest seed.
13:29That's money.
13:31Don't send a seed.
13:32That's right, Wanda.
13:32Please do not send us actual seeds.
13:35We ain't interested in your seeds!
13:37We ain't interested!
13:38We ain't interested!
13:40Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
13:43Ron DeSantis, the life and deeds of Florida's notorious governor.
13:46You're going to ask how many questions.
13:48You get three?
13:49They only got one question.
13:50Why do you get three?
13:51With all due respect, governor, I'm just asking if I could finish my question.
13:54You didn't?
13:54You finished the question.
13:56No, she didn't!
13:57Tobacco, a spotlight on the tobacco industry's shameless international practice.
14:01Philip Morris International, a company with annual net revenues of $80 billion,
14:07basically threatened to sue Togo, whose entire GDP is $4.3 billion.
14:12And when your GDP is only a couple of billion more than the box office of Avatar,
14:18a protracted legal case is not really what you need.
14:21McKinsey, Oliver puts the consulting firm, its practices, and its client list on blast.
14:26That the individuals involved had experience in both pharmaceuticals and opioids.
14:30Reclaiming my time, Mr. Sternfelds, they didn't have experience.
14:33They were the identical humans working for both at the same time.
14:39Exactly.
14:40And there was a big difference between having experience working for both
14:44and actively working for both at the same time.
14:46Opioids, a deep dive into the damage caused by opioids, Purdue Pharma, and the Sacklers.
14:51They would always ask, does the patient have cancer?
14:54Uh-huh.
14:55That's what we would say.
14:56So you do, uh-huh.
14:56You'd say yes.
14:57But I'm not saying yes, right?
14:59I would just say, uh-huh.
15:01Isn't that a yes?
15:02Well, that's what they did think.
15:05Um, but I wasn't blatantly saying yes.
15:08Oh, my God!
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15:231.
15:25Donald Trump
15:27The first Last Week Tonight episode discussing Trump aired in early 2016 when he was first
15:31running for president.
15:32There is a part of me that even likes this guy.
15:34It's a part of me I hate, but it is a part of me.
15:39Oliver roasted Trump's chronic dishonesty, business endeavors, and political flip-flopping.
15:44Honestly, I don't know David Duke.
15:45I don't believe I've ever met him.
15:46I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him, and I just don't know anything about him.
15:50Really?
15:51That's your best answer there, because you definitely know who he is,
15:56partly because you called him a bigot and a racist in the past.
15:59Viewers see Trump proclaiming he knows words, has the best words,
16:03jokes mocking the size of his fingers, and Ivanka discussing their past debt.
16:07I remember once my father and I were walking down Fifth Avenue,
16:11and there was a homeless person sitting, um, sitting right outside of Trump Tower.
16:16And I remember my father pointing to him and saying,
16:19you know, that guy has $8 billion more than me,
16:22because he was in such extreme debt at that point, you know?
16:25The segment revealed that Trump's ancestral name was actually Drumpf,
16:28launching a hashtag to make Donald Drumpf again, and a matching website, donaldjdrumpf.com.
16:33The term went viral, and the clip garnered millions of views,
16:36becoming one of Oliver's most popular segments,
16:38though the name Drumpf was dropped from future episodes.
16:41A year later, Ivanka returned in her own video,
16:43discussing her and Jared Kushner's roles in the Trump White House.
16:46If they are the reason you are sleeping at night, you should probably still be awake.
16:52Which of these takedowns did you most enjoy? Let us know in the comments below.
16:55Your new Brexit negotiator, please welcome Lord Buckethead!
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