If you thought it was strange that the Season 12 premiere of “Last Week Tonight” ran against the “SNL50” celebration, you’re not alone. John Oliver thought it was odd too — but also hilarious.
Stopping by “The Late Show” to see fellow “Strike Force Five” co-host Stephen Colbert on Monday night, Oliver could do nothing but crack up when Colbert pointed out the two shows technically competed for ratings.
“Was it your idea to launch the show against the largest cavalcade of stars to ever assemble at the most popular sketch show of all time?” Colbert ribbed as Oliver tried to compose himself.
“I mean, it wasn’t my idea, but I do find the idea very funny!” Oliver replied, on the edge of breaking again. “Which do you want to see, as a human being? A celebration of half a century of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ a joyous celebration of that? Or one man squawking about government eating itself from within?”
No matter what you chose though, Oliver supports you, as he noted that he wasn’t going to “yuck anybody’s yum.”
Indeed, a lot of people tuned into “SNL50.” The 3-hour anniversary celebration notched 14.8 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, and scored a 2.53 rating in the 18-49 demo, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day viewing figures and internal streaming data.
Among both total viewers and demo viewers, that ranks as NBC’s most-watched primetime entertainment telecast in five years, and viewership is expected to keep growing.
You can watch Oliver’s discussion with Colbert in the video above.
