‘Last Week Tonight’: John Oliver Calls J.D. Vance, Trump “Plausible ‘Masked Singer’ Contestants”

Natalie Oganesyan

9 September 2024 at 12:10 am·2-min read

After a three-week hiatus, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is back with a vengeance as its politically comic host John Oliver took digs at GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential pick J.D. Vance.

Oliver began his segment by outlining how Trump and Vance have pushed back against the “weird” label being lobbed at them by the Democratic party, a strategic communication tactic that aims to throw opponents off-balance and frustrate them. In one clip of an appearance by Trump on Sean Hannity’s show, Trump said Vance is “a solid rock” and he himself is “a very solid rock.”

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“But that is the weirdest possible way to address that accusation … What are you talking about? I’m not sure I would describe any part of J.D. Vance as rock solid, unless of course he was in a West Elm showroom,” Oliver remarked, referencing the rumor and subsequent meme that Vance had sexual intercourse with a couch.

The host continued, “Trump is half right there; he and Vance are lots of things: they’re misogynists, narcissists, men who come dead silent, plausible Masked Singer contestants, but they are also deeply weird!” As evidence for his claims, Oliver continued his bit by poking fun at Vance’s awkward interaction at a local donut shop and the time he once accidentally grasped a fist bump, only to course-correct and then be left hanging.

Oliver is not entirely out-of-left-field with his Masked Singer joke: Two years ago, the Fox reality competition series was mired in controversy after including former Trump legal advisor Rudy Giuliani as a contestant. The decision led to a prompt walk-off by judges Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke at the time.

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