“Last Week Tonight” fans who are used to catching the latest from John Oliver on YouTube will have to adjust their schedules. Starting this week, the HBO late night show will be adding segments of their latest episodes to YouTube on Thursdays rather than on Mondays.
Oliver posted about the change on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “I know I usually share a link to our main story here on Mondays, but HBO has decided they’re going to wait until Thursday to post them to YouTube from now on,” Oliver wrote. “I hope they change their mind, but until then, you can see our piece about the Supreme Court on HBO, on MAX and on YouTube in a few days.”
An HBO spokesperson later explained the reason behind the change.
“When ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’ premiered on HBO, the convenience of watching on Max did not exist, so YouTube allowed flexible viewing for the main story as well as promotional exposure,” the representative told TheWrap. “We are now delaying that availability and hope those fans choose to watch the entire show on Max.”
This is a major shift for the HBO original. Since its premiere in 2014, the series has grown its audience in large part due to its YouTube presence. Over the past 11 seasons, it hasn’t been unusual to see a “Last Week Tonight” segment or an Oliver joke gain traction on social media, often accompanied by a corresponding clip. Though this move may impact the series’ presence on social media, backing off YouTube as a tunnel for fans also arguably stands as proof of how strong Oliver’s audience has become.
Since its premiere 11 seasons ago, “Last Week Tonight” has grown to become one of the most esteemed titles in late night television. Over the course of its run, the late night show has been nominated for 61 Primetime Emmys and has walked away with 28 wins. The series has also won two Peabody Awards, eight Producers Guild of America Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards, four Critics Choice Television Awards and four Television Critics Association Awards, just to name a few of its long list of accolades.
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