John Oliver devoted his entire episode of “Last Week Tonight” to picking apart fellow late night host Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension on Sunday, and as the HBO host did so, he offered a message to Disney CEO Bob Iger directly.
As Oliver broke down what led to Kimmel’s suspension, he warned that the ABC host is “just the latest canary in the coal mine” of President Trump’s “attacks on free speech.” Considering Trump’s FCC chair and the president himself have also threatened to come after “The View,” another ABC property, Oliver encouraged Iger to stand up to the administration now.
“One day, the history of the time we’re living through is going to be written, and when it is, I’m not sure it’s those in this administration who are even going to come off the worst,” he said. “Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re going to come off terribly, but history is also going to remember the cowards who definitely knew better, but still let things happen, whether it was for money, convenience or just comfort.”
Oliver warned that giving a bully your lunch money doesn’t solve the problem, but only makes them return asking for more, and pointed out that Trump and his team have not only threatened Disney and ABC further, but other networks as well.
“At some point you’re going to have to draw a line,” Oliver said. “So I’d argue, why not draw it right here?”
The HBO host then offered Iger an idea of exactly what he should say the next time Trump and Carr come “with stupid, ridiculous demands, picking fights that you know you could win in court.”
“Instead of rolling over, why not stand up and use four key words they don’t tend to teach you in business school,” Oliver said. “Not ‘OK, you’re the boss,’ not ‘Whatever you say goes.’ But instead, the only phrase that can genuinely make a weak bully go away, and that is ‘F–k you, make me.’”
You can watch Oliver’s full segment defending Kimmel in the video above.
