John Oliver safe at HBO; Stephen Colbert’s future uncertain — but there’s a snag
John Oliver has put pen to paper at HBO again — but this time on terms that buck his usual renewals and have insiders wondering what he’s planning.
Right, so John Oliver is sticking around at HBO, but if you were expecting the usual multi-year deal and sighing with relief till the end of the decade, you might want to steady yourself. There’s been a twist in his contract for Last Week Tonight, and it’s thrown up more speculation than your average tabloid rumour. Instead of a comfortable three-year renewal like he’s always had, Oliver’s only been signed on for one more year—just the 12 months, in, out, and see how you feel after.
Last Week Tonight will now stay on air through the end of 2027.
Not Business as Usual
Let’s unpack this. Since Last Week Tonight kicked off in 2014, Oliver and HBO have kept things nice and predictable—three-year extensions like clockwork. This time, though, a single-year add-on replaces the deal that just ran out. The timing does feel pointed, given everything swirling around HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. You might have heard there’s a proposed buyout involving Paramount, but that’s currently held up by a stack of legal challenges.
Now, nobody at HBO has stepped forward to officially tie the shorter contract to that acquisition mess, but you don’t need to be a genius to connect a few dots. Industry gossips have certainly noticed—it looks like everyone’s keeping their options open till that corporate circus sorts itself out one way or another.
Oliver on His “Business Daddies”
If you’re a regular viewer, you’ll know Oliver’s never one to mince words about his corporate overlords—usually dubbing them his “Business Daddies.” When Paramount first announced its plans to swoop in, he wasted no time throwing himself into the bit. At the time, he joked about the changes on air and in interviews, teasing the uncertainty under his typical layer of sarcasm.
Joking about the acquisition, Oliver quipped, “Oh sh*t, I’m in Paramount now. How the f*ck do I get out of this?”
As for HBO’s top brass, nothing but glowing noises about keeping Oliver in the family. On the day this year’s Emmy nominations were announced, HBO chairman Casey Bloys made it plain they were deep in talks with Oliver and very much wanted him to sign on. Oliver himself later confirmed the deal had been renewed in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter.
A Late-Night Fixture
This is hardly the end of Last Week Tonight—if anything, Oliver’s as established as British comedians get in American late-night. Fans have followed him since the Daily Show days, and let’s face it, he’s given HBO one of its most consistently clever, hard-hitting programmes. The blend of investigative segments and a proper lashing of irreverence is, for better or worse, something late-night telly can’t afford to lose.