In Season 11 Last Week Tonight Finally, John Oliver discussed TikTok’s ongoing lawsuits against the US government’s attempts to ban the platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance.
Oliver began the show by summarizing the week’s “shocking headlines,” which included Mark Zuckerberg dropping a single with T-Pain while the two covered “Get Low” – a project the comedian likened to “Kidz Bop.” For adults, where all the swearing is intact but there’s still a deep sense that the music was a mistake.
He also briefly touched on Donald Trump’s string of cabinet picks that have sparked backlash from both sides of the aisle, including the nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general: “the man whose lawyers insist I can’t call Jeffrey Epstein if he goes to the most critical beaches.” “.
However, the majority of the latest episode covered the dueling interests of TikTok and the US government. Oliver began the segment by showing a clip of a social media user interacting with renowned chocolatier Amaury Guichon, who was building what appeared at first glance to be an NSFW chocolate product.
“What a journey! Honestly, I don’t know how TV is supposed to compete with that. I’m definitely going to watch this guy host a game show called Rooster or Snake? It’s basically Is it a cake? Oliver said sarcastically: “Only with much higher injuries to the snake on the penis.”
One of the most controversial elements of TikTok is the system’s ultra-fast algorithm, which works by collecting and tracking user data: “That way it can quickly figure out exactly what you like and feed you more of the same thing over and over again, not unlike an avid grandma or Marvel Studios,” Oliver said, taking a shot at the studio in regards to super consumer fatigue.
Oliver then played a series of TikToks featuring women who said the platform helped them realize they were lesbians, saying the platform is people’s “sexual awakening on the fly. Previously, a discovery like this could take years of therapy or an entire episode of therapy Xena: Warrior Princess. I honestly don’t think the machine has been responsible for more sexual awakenings since then Iron GiantAnd, I’m not explaining it to you. I don’t do that. It’s an objectively sexy robot, it’s tall, it has cute eyes, it’s great with kids, and I’m pretty sure it has a vibration setting. Don’t be weird about this. You are being strange“.
Although Oliver said he was hesitant to put his trust in a multinational company that leverages consumer data, “its behavior is very much in line with Silicon Valley’s very timid standards. Think of TikTok as a soft drink company in the 19th century. Sure, most of its products are cocaine, but show me a kid’s drink that isn’t.
He concluded: “In a world where Instagram knows your location, Uber knows your childhood fears and DoorDash has a detailed 3D rendering of your small intestine that its executives use as a screensaver, claiming you’re protecting Americans’ privacy by banning TikTok is like claiming you’re fighting climate change by banning the Kia Sorento. Sure, I mean, it’s technically nothing, but in the broader sense, it’s basically nothing.
At the conclusion of the show and the start of Season 12 in 2025, Oliver participated in a viral TikTok trend of his own, imitating Charli XCX’s “Apple” dance.
He said of his New Year’s resolutions: “In 2025, I’d like Elon Musk to jump really high, and never come back down.” “I would like to go just one day without hearing about evil movie. In 2025, I would like to finalize mission: Impossible The movie ends with Tom Cruise removing his face mask to reveal Shelley Miscavige.