John Oliver caught heat in some quarters last week for not addressing the (then) pending merger of Paramount and Last Week Tonight’s parent company, Warner Bros. But after that deal closed this week, the late-night host did not let the opportunity slip by again.
At the end of a segment in which he tackled the scourge of corporate mascots, specifically the yellow “Liberty Biberty” guy — “I hate this thing. That right there is a fuzzy testicle with teeth” — Oliver took a moment to deliver a message to his new Skydance overlords.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Skydance family! Hope you’re happy with what you bought, guys! We’re never gonna change!” He gleefully repeated the latter sentiment as the credits rolled.
Three weeks ago, Oliver took a less-veiled jab at Skydance boss David Ellison and his father, Larry, who largely financed the deal.
“Yeah, my soon-to-be business daddy has a literal business daddy. And to be very clear, I deeply respect that and I would never make fun of you for it, unlike that pesky Stephen Colbert.”
Colbert ended his run as host of The Late Show earlier this year amid Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount and after Colbert called the CBS parent company settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump a “big fat bribe.”
Oliver famously likes to chew up his “Business Daddies” on his show and has regularly mocked former HBO owners such as AT&T and Warners’ David Zaslav.