John Oliver went to jail on Sunday, thematically, to bring attention to the disastrous conditions the coronavirus pandemic has created — or really, exacerbated — in the U.S. prison system.
“The five largest clusters of coronavirus are [in] correctional institutions, which is so terrible, it sounds like an announcement produced by some sort of bad news generator that spits out random sentences, like ‘Confederate statue inks 1o-episode deal with Quibi,’ or ‘TikTok hamster charged with 4 counts of vehicular manslaughter,’ or ‘Sean Hannity dating Ainsley Earhardt,’” Oliver said. “One of those is real, and it’s the worst one.”
Readers, especially those familiar with the “Daily Show” alum’s feelings on Fox News Channel, can probably figure out which one of those headlines real and thus, “the worst one.”
Oliver’s latest “Last Week Tonight” episode — his eighth one to focus on COVID-19 — included contraband cell-phone videos shot by inmates during prison uprisings protesting the current conditions. Those incarcerated are not the bad guys here, Oliver said.
“If it takes the destruction of property for a system to pay attention to human lives, then we are in a dark f—ing place,” Oliver said.
“Realistically, we need to be getting as many people out of prisons and jails as possible, which is frankly something we should be doing anyway,” he added.
Of course, Oliver got some jokes in on his weekly comedy show. His targets last night were the usual suspects.
For starters, Oliver renamed Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show “Crime Porn for Old Whites,” and Tucker Carlson’s “They’re Coming for You.” Carlson wasn’t mentioned by name this time, Oliver instead referred to the Fox News personality as “a human squash court.”
HBO’s parent company AT&T didn’t make it through this episode unscathed either. Oliver’s latest takedown of his corporate bosses comes around the 11-minute mark.
Watch the video above.
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” airs Sundays at 11 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.