John Oliver spent most of “Last Week Tonight” debunking RFK Jr.’s false medical claims, but first, the HBO host needed a moment to have a laugh at the presidential hopeful’s campaign ad touting his fitness.
In the promo, Kennedy brags about how often he works out, how healthy he eats and more, all while clips of him participating in various physical activities play in rapid succession. It’s set to a dance beat, and says nothing of his policies, it simply brags on his physical health, presumably as compared to that of fellow candidate Donald Trump.
“Cool,” Oliver deadpanned Sunday night, after a heavy pause. “To be honest, that looks less like a campaign ad, and more like the dating profile of a guy who just lost custody. And while it’s a bit weird to be working out in jeans, from one jock to another, I get it.”
Oliver then went on to make a series of fitness puns about himself, joking about his own stamina.
But from there, the late night host spent his main segment debunking false claims Kennedy has made about vaccines and more. One such claim included a moment from 2021, in which Kennedy claimed that “people who are addicted to poppers” were dying en masse because of Kaposi sarcoma, directly caused by the drugs.
Oliver made a point to note that there is no proven connection between the two, as evidenced by the fact that poppers are still easy to buy — which he did. As the segment went on, the HBO host made it clear that he definitely didn’t want to be spending so much time on RFK Jr., but felt he had to.
“Let me just say this: I also don’t want to be doing this,” Oliver said as he highlighted another false medical claim by Kennedy. “I don’t want to be debunking his arguments at length. I am so close to taking a hit of these poppers, you have no idea!”
He continued, “But he’s made so many confident assertions there, and if you leave even one unchallenged, people will think ‘Well, maybe there’s something to it.’”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” is now streaming on Max.