John Oliver

Whether or not your personal politics ended up validated over the last few weeks, few would argue that 2016 has at least proven a challenging year. Certainly not John Oliver, who used the final Last Week Tonight of the year to look back on Trump’s election, and literally blow up 2016 with a spectacular goodbye.

There’s not shortage of controversy around this year’s Oscars. But there is a shortage of roles for people of color in Hollywood — or at least that’s the argument that tends to get made by those who think that it’s not fair to blame the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for selecting an all-white field of acting nominees (for the second year in a row). The fault, they claim, lies with the Hollywood filmmakers who don’t make opportunities for actors of color in the first place. The system of honoring actors is merely a reflection, supposedly, of the larger system of moviemaking, and all its flaws.

HBO's Last Week Tonight host John Oliver's rant on the ridiculous and weird tradition of presidential pardoning of a single turkey for Thanksgiving is both hilarious and delicious.

Where Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' spun off the charisma of Stephen Colbert to spawn 'The Colbert Report,' it seems fellow 'Daily Show' breakout John Oliver has flown the coop altogether. The UK funnyman will instead leave behind 'The Daily Show' to topline his own weekly HBO comedy series, but will it follow the same model?