Photo: Last Week Tonight
There’s a reason why hostJohn Oliverhas won six Emmys for his critically acclaimed show,Last Week Tonight. The combination of timely, hard-hitting news explained through Oliver’s witty, theatrical delivery often results in viral clips that have enacted real change.
This season, the late-night host has brought the hammer down on issues — like the life-changing cost of public shaming and the ongoing opioid crisis — to highlight injustices that have been plaguing society today. If you’ve been struggling to keep up with the 24-hour news cycle, look to Oliver to explain the biggest stories of the year and to obliterate the subjects and people in question along the way. The show is up for the Outstanding Variety Talk Series Emmy at Sunday night’s show, and here are some reasons why:
Robocalls
Public Shaming
WWE
Oliver put the smackdown on the WWE and its chairman and CEO Vince McMahon for how badly the organization has exploited its professional athletes. From the alarming early death rate of wrestlers to grueling work hours with no paid leave options, it’s a lot, and the host played a clip of Bret “Hitman” Hart explaining the essence of where the problem lies within wrestling: McMahon.
“Vince McMahon has always had this mentality of treating wrestlers like circus animals,” Hart says in the clip. “All of these wrestlers that have broke their backs for making this living for years end up with nothing when it’s over. Then they sort of take you out back and put a slug in the back of your head and dump you out. That’s the life of a professional wrestler.”
Opioids II
The show’s follow-up report to its2016 story on the opioid crisisoutlines the shocking tactics companies have used to promote their highly addictive drugs, how the town of Kermit, West Virginia (with only about 400 residents) was able to receive3 milliondoses of hydrocodone in just one year and how former Purdue Pharma chairman and president Richard Sackler urged the company to blame those who are addicted on the devastating crisis, instead of taking responsibility for the problem and doing something to stop it. The host also recruited actor Michael Keaton to get his points across, loud and clear.
Boris Johnson
Bias in Medicine
Doctor visits may vary for many people, especially women and people of color. Episode 21 brings forth the sexism and racism that plays a role in the fact that many sick patients are turned away from getting the proper treatment they need and deserve. Oliver decides early on in the segment that, as a white man, he’s probably not the best person to speak on the topic so instead, he enlists Wanda Sykes to tell it like it is when it comes to bias in medicine.
The 71st PrimetimeEmmy Awardsair live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 22, starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
source: people.com
