There’s bad news and good news. The bad news: last Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight was the season 12 finale, meaning we’re now in those bleak three months without John Oliver’s wit, antics, and hyperbolic incredulity to guide us through even bleaker times. The good news: they really went out with a bang! The bang of an auctioneer’s gavel, to be precise. The main story of the episode was about Trump’s $1.1 billion funding cuts (money that was approved by Congress before he took office, but I digress) to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Founded in 1967 under President Lyndon B. Johnson, the CPB was intentionally set up to be independent, and hence free from government intervention. Yet here we are. So Oliver & Co. decided to do what they do best: cook up an eccentric scheme, the proceeds of which will support public broadcasting. Now through November 24, the John Oliver’s Junk auction is accepting bids on 65 separate lots, all relics of Last Week Tonight shows past, present, and future. Yes, “future,” with tix to a taping next year on offer.
Oliver announced the “John Oliver’s Junk” auction on Sunday’s show, and said the auction would continue through Nov. 24. “We’ve actually accumulated a bunch of weird artifacts on this show over the years that we could definitely auction off to raise some much needed money,” Oliver said. “I am proud to announce last week tonight’s first ever auction in aid of public media. This is real!” Proceeds go to the Public Media Bridge Fund, which is assisting local public broadcasters in temporarily finding new funds in the wake of the CPB closure.
Fans of “Last Week Tonight” will recognize several of the items being auctioned: Among them, Russell Crowe’s jock strap (“worn by Russell Crowe in the major motion picture Cinderella Man and later purchased by ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,’ during season 5 of the show, as part of Crowe’s ‘Art of Divorce’ auction in which Crowe sold his personal belongings to pay for his divorce”), and “Mrs. Cabbage Oliver” (“John Oliver’s on-screen wife, married during an on-screen wedding officiated by Steve Buscemi. Part of ‘Last Week Tonight’s season 9 segment on AI-generated art in which John marries a cabbage in the studio”).
Also: A large, gold-plated re-creation of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s balls (“Sculpture of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s scrotum, part of the season 12 segment on presidential libraries”), five wax Presidents of the United States, golden Adidas sneakers, (“Gold sneakers John Oliver promised to wear in a season 2 episode of ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’ if scandal-ridden FIFA President Sepp Blatter stepped down”).
Among other items: A trip to New York to meet Oliver; “a case of Cabernet SauvignJohn, a wine years in the making by ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,’” and a chance to appear in a photo over Oliver’s shoulder during an episode — along with two VIP tickets to a live taping of the show.
Oh man, scrolling through the 65 items is like a greatest hits across all 12 seasons of Last Week Tonight. Their buying stuff from Russell Crowe’s The Art of Divorce auction was when I first truly appreciated the lengths Oliver & Co. will go to for the joint crusade of comedy and a good cause. It started out with a segment on the last standing Blockbuster store, then Oliver bought some of the Crowe paraphernalia and offered to send it to that Blockbuster (in Alaska, if I recall correctly) to drum up business. And then Crowe got wind of Oliver’s good deed and in turn donated the proceeds from Oliver’s purchases to an animal hospital in Australia, which is how the world was gifted with “The John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward.” There really is nothing better than charity.
In this case, Oliver readily admitted they took inspiration from Bob Ross Inc, who recently auctioned three paintings by the beloved PBS host that ended up netting $662,000 for PBS. Oliver was so inspired, in fact, that he asked Bob Ross Inc to please donate another painting from the archives to be included in John Oliver’s Junk — and they did! Cabin at Sunset from 1987 is Lot #1 and, as of this writing, going for $1,041,000. So… I won’t be taking this Bob Ross original home either, lol. Even if, like me, the treasures exceed your budget, I highly recommend watching the episode itself. I had no idea that a public TV station in the 1970s was the first to come up with closed captioning. I also never realized that prior to this defunding, America was spending about 1% the amount other democracies are on public media, deep weary sigh.
Very nice of JO and Bob Ross’s estate! As an NPR junkie, I feel very sad for smaller markets that have to make cuts to syndicated programs. Hopefully, next election cycle will offer funds back and that local public broadcasting stations can hang on.
He is the reason I have an hbo subscription. I’m so glad he’s doing this.
They now release the full episode on YouTube which is a godsend.
Also, speaking of LBJ, whoever at the LBJ sent the gift basket (iykyk) to LWT, you are a genius.
He’s a treasure.