Josh Gondelman — Writer

Episodes 41

Marketing to Doctors

71%
February 8, 201530m
2x1

John Oliver discusses the growing issues of pharmaceutical companies marketing directly to and through doctors. Also, since RadioShack has filed for bankruptcy, John has created a farewell message for them. Plus, the online sessions by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa to address the public aren't going too well.

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Tobacco

75%
February 15, 201530m
2x2

Thanks to tobacco industry regulations and marketing restrictions in the U.S., smoking rates have dropped dramatically. John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are keeping their business strong overseas and how Phillip Morris International in particular is employing some unethical legal practices while suing some of the world's poorest countries. Plus, we've noticed that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue still exists but can’t quite figure out why.

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Elected Judges

80%
February 22, 201530m
2x3

The vast majority of US judges are elected, forcing many judges to pander to the electorate and accept campaign money in order to keep their jobs. This seems slightly troubling...

The UK's Labour Party has painted a campaign van pink in an attempt to attract women voters. We are glad they didn't keep going with that strategy.

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Infrastructure

70%
March 1, 201530m
2x4

America's crumbling infrastructure: It's not a sexy problem, but it is a scary one.

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U.S. Territories

85%
March 8, 201530m
2x5

A set of Supreme Court decisions made over 100 years ago has left U.S. territories without meaningful representation. That’s weird, right? Plus, daylight saving time doesn’t actually benefit anyone. Strangely, it’s still a thing!

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The NCAA

70%
March 15, 201530m
2x6

The NCAA doesn’t pay athletes because they consider them amateurs. The NCAA considers them amateurs because they don’t get paid.

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Municipal Violations

80%
March 22, 201530m
2x7

If you have money, committing a municipal violation may pose you a minor inconvenience. If you don’t, it can ruin your life. Also, the New Hampshire legislature refused to make the red-tailed hawk the official raptor of their state... so Last Week Tonight made it the official raptor of the show.

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Government Surveillance

92%
April 5, 201530m
2x8

There are very few government checks on what America’s sweeping surveillance programs are capable of doing. John Oliver sits down with Edward Snowden to discuss the NSA, the balance between privacy and security, and dick-pics.

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The IRS

71%
April 12, 201530m
2x9

Nobody likes the IRS. But recent budget and staff cuts have made it increasingly difficult for the department to do its very important job. Don’t take our word for it. Ask Michael Bolton.

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Patents

82%
April 19, 201530m
2x10

For inventors, patents are an essential protection against theft. But when patent trolls abuse the system by stockpiling patents and threatening lawsuits, businesses are forced to shell out tons of money. Also, CNN produced an actual doomsday video to broadcast when the world is ending and it’s incredibly dull. We've enlisted Martin Sheen to help make humanity’s final moments happier!

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Fashion

82%
April 26, 201530m
2x11

John explores the concept of changing and cheap fashion and some of the ugliest truths of the manufacturing process.

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Standardized Testing

82%
May 3, 201530m
2x12

American students face a ridiculous amount of testing. John Oliver explains how standardized tests impact school funding, the achievement gap and how often the kids are expected to throw up while taking one.

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Paid Family Leave

84%
May 10, 201530m
2x13

Many American companies do not offer paid leave after the birth of a child, which means they probably shouldn’t run sappy Mother’s Day ads. Also, the Japanese have some unhealthy obsession with mascots and John proposes to adopt some of that culture in the U.S. government agencies as well.

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Chickens

78%
May 17, 201530m
2x14

John Oliver explains how chicken farming can be unfair, punishing, and inhumane. And not just for the chickens!

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FIFA II

87%
May 31, 201530m
2x15

After the arrests of numerous top officials, John Oliver decided to give an update on the state of FIFA. Also, Thailand's ignorance about the world's history involving Hitler might require some re-education.

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Bail

84%
June 7, 201530m
2x16

John Oliver explains why America’s bail system is better for the reality TV industry than it is for the justice system.

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Torture

86%
June 14, 201530m
2x17

The US Senate Torture Report revealed horrifying details of America's interrogation program. Helen Mirren will fill you in. Plus, information about the 2015 European Games and the Canadian Senate expenses scandal.

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The Internet

84%
June 21, 201530m
2x18

Online harassment is a major problem, but it’s rarely prosecuted. If only we’d been warned about this in the early days of the internet.

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Transgender Rights

84%
June 28, 201530m
2x19

This week’s gay rights victory was historic, but the transgender community still faces staggering challenges. John Oliver focuses on the “T” in “LGBT."

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Stadiums

80%
July 12, 201530m
2x20

Cities spend massive amounts of public money on privately-owned stadiums. Cities issue tax-exempt municipal bonds that — wait, don’t fall asleep!

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Food Waste

82%
July 19, 201530m
2x21

Producers, sellers, and consumers waste tons of food. John Oliver discusses the shocking amount of food we don’t eat.

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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws

78%
July 26, 201530m
2x22

Mandatory minimums require fixed prison sentences for certain crimes. John Oliver explains why we treat some turkeys better than most low-level offenders.

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Prisoner Re-entry

79%
November 8, 201530m
2x33

John Oliver discusses problems that prisoners face when re-entering the society after they're released from prison. A quick interview with Bilal Chatman shines a light on one such case. Plus, a law proposed in the United Kingdom advocates for a mass surveillance of citizens' online activities, how Department of Defense is paying huge sums of money to professional sports teams to honor veterans during their events, and Washington Redskins file a lawsuit to defend their poorly chosen trademark name by naming other terrible examples.

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Daily Fantasy Sports

82%
November 15, 201530m
2x34

John talks about the recent Paris attacks, China's Singles Day, the Koh-i-Noor diamond and Daily Fantasy Sports.

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Refugees & Pennies

80%
Season Finale
November 22, 201530m
2x35

John reflects on the aftermath of Paris attacks and how it affects refugees worldwide. Plus, he questions the usefulness of the U.S. penny, since minting the coins costs more than they're actually worth.

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Voting

81%
February 14, 201630m
3x1

John talks about the late Antonin Scalia's love of the Letter of the Law, Chipotle's food safety problems, how Voter IDs laws should be applied to those who write them, and New Zealand's economic development minister Steven Joyce.

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Abortion Laws

78%
February 21, 201630m
3x2

John talks about the South Carolina Republican primary, the Supreme Court vacancy and abortion, which theoretically is legal in the U.S., but some states make it practically inaccessible. Plus, how is Hollywood whitewashing still a thing?

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Donald Trump

75%
February 28, 201630m
3x3

John talks about the Egyptian president and economic crisis, the Guantanamo Bay shutdown and Donald Trump.

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Special Districts

80%
March 6, 201630m
3x4

Special districts spend more public money than all city governments combined. That's odd considering most of us don't know they exist.

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Encryption

81%
March 13, 201629m
3x5

Strong encryption poses problems for law enforcement, is weakening it worth the risks it presents? It's…complicated.

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Border Wall

78%
March 20, 201630m
3x6

Donald Drumpf wants to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Is his plan feasible?

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Congressional Fundraising

81%
April 3, 201630m
3x7

Lawmakers have to raise money to keep their jobs, but a surprising amount of their job now consists of raising money. John Oliver sits down with Congressman Steve Israel to discuss the costs of political spending.

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Credit Reports

74%
April 10, 201630m
3x8

Credit reports play a surprisingly large role in our lives, but even more surprising is how often they contain critical mistakes. John Oliver helps credit agencies see why this is a problem.

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Lead

80%
April 17, 201630m
3x9

Lead poisoning is a national problem. If only lawmakers were as concerned as the puppets on Sesame Street.

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Puerto Rico

82%
April 24, 201630m
3x10

Puerto Rico is suffering a massive debt crisis. Lin-Manuel Miranda joins John Oliver to call for relief.

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Scientific Studies

80%
May 8, 201630m
3x11

John Oliver on Sticking to the Facts: Media outlets often report new findings from scientific studies, but how many are true?

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911

79%
May 15, 201630m
3x12

John Oliver on 911 Reliability: Things you never want to hear: there are no guarantees when you call 911. Emergency call centers are in desperate need of funding and new technology, so “no guarantees” is the unfortunate reality.

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Primaries and Caucuses

81%
May 22, 201630m
3x13

Last Week Tonight Tackles U.S. Primaries and Caucuses: The United States selection process for presidential nominees is convoluted — to say the least. Nevertheless, John Oliver reminds Americans that the "middle of the game" is the worst possible time to change the rules.

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Debt Buyers

76%
June 5, 201635m
3x14

John Oliver Takes On Debt Buyers: Companies that purchase debt on the cheap will aggressively collect on it. 'Last Week Tonight’ took a hands-on approach to addressing this issue.

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Retirement Plans

77%
June 12, 201632m
3x15

John Oliver Covers Ins and Outs of Retirement Plans: Saving for retirement means navigating a potential minefield of high fees and bad advice - Last Week Tonight is here to help.

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Brexit

83%
June 19, 201630m
3x16

John Oliver on “Brexiting” from the EU: There might be an innate British desire to diss Europe, but Last Week Tonight lays out exactly why it’s a mistake to leave the EU.

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