John Oliver returned to “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday after a monthlong summer break and quickly turned his attention to David Ellison, Larry Ellison and the corporate maneuvering surrounding HBO’s parent company.
The comedian’s jab came during a discussion of UnitedHealthcare’s denial of cancer treatments for Kate Weissman. According to the segment, the decision forced Weissman’s parents to pay $95,000 out of pocket for her care. Weissman is now cancer-free.
Oliver used the case to argue that access to essential medical treatment should not depend on family wealth — before pivoting to the Ellisons and the business situation that could directly affect his own HBO series.
“Having access to wealthy parents just cannot be the system to get badly-needed health care — even if it is apparently the system that lets you be in charge of HBO,” Oliver said.
Oliver Targets Paramount Skydance’s David Ellison
David Ellison is the CEO of Paramount Skydance, whose $110.9 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is making its way through the courts. Warner Bros. Discovery is HBO’s parent company, giving Oliver’s joke an unmistakably personal corporate dimension.
After displaying a photograph of David Ellison with his father, Larry Ellison, Oliver continued the bit by imagining his possible future place in that corporate family tree.
“Yeah. My soon-to-be business daddy has a literal business daddy,” Oliver said. “And to be very clear: I deeply respect that and I would never make fun of you for it, unlike that pesky Stephen Colbert.”
The “soon-to-be” phrasing reflected the still-developing nature of the Warner Bros. Discovery transaction. The acquisition remains subject to court proceedings and is described as probable rather than complete.
Oliver recently renewed his “Last Week Tonight” contract through 2027, with the extension coming ahead of the Ellisons’ probable acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. That leaves the Emmy-winning host under contract at HBO while the ownership question continues to play out.
A Wide-Ranging Return After Summer Break
The Ellison remarks were only one portion of Oliver’s first show back following the monthlong hiatus. He also addressed Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who was loudly booed during an appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in Austin, Texas.
Elsewhere in the episode, Oliver examined UnitedHealthcare’s history of denying health claims ahead of Luigi Mangione’s December sentencing for killing the company’s CEO, Brian Thompson. The discussion of Weissman’s treatment and the financial burden placed on her family provided the opening for Oliver’s pivot from health care to media-industry power and inherited wealth.
Before the summer break, Oliver had focused his comedy on Trump, mocking him for sacrificing several senior staff members on a decoy plane amid his unusual catering-truck escape in Turkey.
What Happens Next?
Oliver’s HBO deal keeps “Last Week Tonight” in place through 2027. Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance’s $110.9 billion Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition continues through the courts, leaving Oliver’s proposed “business daddy” arrangement not yet finalized.