John Oliver, a liberal comedian and host of "Last Week Tonight" on HBO, said during an interview on Sunday that he hoped his show speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump despite his opposition to the president.
On CBS's "60 Minutes," correspondent Bill Whitaker pointed out that Oliver told his viewers not to vote for Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election but that, despite the advocacy, "More than 77 million people voted for Donald Trump." Whitaker then asked, "Does your show speak to them?"
"I really hope it speaks to some of them, yes, because most of those main stories that we talk about are not actually party political. Those are lasting problems that have been there before the last two or three presidents, and may well be there for - after the next two or three," Oliver responded.
Oliver told CBS's Stephen Colbert on Feb. 17 that he recently became a U.S. citizen and would stay in America despite suggesting it’s a sinking ship under the Trump administration.
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Liberal comedian John Oliver sat down with CBS' Bill Whitaker for an interview on "60 Minutes." (Screenshot/CBS)
Oliver said earlier in the interview, "I'm not gonna sit here and say that that is not a partisan thing to do, to say, 'Don't vote for Donald Trump.' I think it's good advice."
The comedian, who was born in the United Kingdom, said during the interview that he married an American woman.
"I married someone who's very American, yeah. She was a medic in the – in the U.S. Army. And now we're married with two American kids," he said.
Whitaker also asked about Oliver's regular jabs directed towards the U.S. and asked if he was troubled by criticisms that his poking fun at America meant that he didn't love the country.
"Yeah. I mean, I just think that's utterly absurd. I think you can criticize something because you love it. Because you love it and you want it to get better," Oliver said.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 16, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Whitaker also asked the comedian about what he wanted to do next.
"Other than – living in the president's gulags in the future? That's what my crystal ball is showing me right now. What's next? I've no idea. Hopefully, just more of this," he said, adding, "As long as America has systemic problems, we'll be there poking fun at them."
During Oliver's conversation with Colbert, Oliver said that they were in a "suboptimal time in human history," referring to Trump's administration.