John Oliver is also frustrated by HBO’s decision to hold off on releasing his show’s main segments days after the episodes premiere. Debuting on April 7, 2014, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a multi-Emmy-winning satirical late-night television program that tackles news, current events, and social issues through deep-dive exposes. When the series started, HBO would release the leading segment on YouTube the morning after it broadcast on Sunday. Starting with Season 11, which is currently on the air, the decision was made to hold off on releasing episode clips until Thursday, four days after the broadcast premiere.
HBO said the decision was motivated as a way to encourage more people to subscribe to Max and watch the program on the platform, but the move has been a frustrating one for fans, and host John Oliver shares those feelings. In an episode of The Interview podcast from The New York Times via The Hollywood Reporter, he said he was unhappy with HBO’s decision, as he liked that YouTube gave the clips on some very important topics that could reach a wider audience without needing an HBO subscription. While Oliver is frustrated, he is still happy that HBO, who he often mocks along with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery as “business daddy,” is willing to upload the clips at all instead of keeping the important information behind a paywall completely. Oliver said:
“It’s massively frustrating to me. I was not happy with it at all. What I love about having the show on YouTube is that we can reach beyond HBO subscribers. That feels really important to me. I really, really appreciate the fact that they do that. I would rather they did it straight after the show the way we’ve always done it, but I’m very grateful that they are willing to still do it at all.”
Why Last Week Tonight Needs to Remain Accessible
While fans might have to wait longer for the current Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segments to hit YouTube, whole episodes from the series’ early seasons have been uploaded to the official YouTube channel. This was done because Max only keeps up to two seasons of the series at a time. It is unclear why the streamer removed the older episodes in the first place, but HBO sees a lot of value in Last Week Tonight as the series was renewed for three additional seasons back in 2023, meaning it will remain on the air until 2026. After 30 Emmy wins, this investment certainly makes sense.
Last Week Tonight’s YouTube clips and how easily accessible they are have been both great for the series and in increasing visibility on the topics at hand. Season 11 has already shined a spotlight on important information like the issues plaguing Boeing and their planes, student loans, school lunches in the United States, book banning in public libraries, and just recently, the influence of conservative groups on the U.S. federal judiciary, which could have major impacts on future generations. These segments can be a vital source of reporting for many, so having them quickly and being able to share them is crucial.
These segments can call out harmful misinformation that tends to spread like wildfire, like 2024 U.S. vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance admitting to making up stories that can do real harm if not challenged. With fake stories being spread rapidly, the ability to share factual information that is presented in an easily accessible and humorous way can change and possibly save many lives.