Amidst this week’s Duck Dynasty controversy and Jennifer Lawrence telling a story about butt plugs, we somehow missed John Oliver’s final night as an actual employee on The Daily Show with John Stewart. I would say last appearance, but I get the inkling he might still pop up on the show in the future. Regardless, for his big night, Stewart and The Daily Show staff put together a really touching video that looked at Oliver’s more than seven years of experience, as well as spotlighted a few of the funniest moments from his Daily Show career.
The “John Oliver Retrospective” first features some moments when Oliver is in character on the show, after which Stewart doesn’t miss a beat and remarks on the comedian's “range” (or lack thereof). It keeps things light, and helps to segue into the next portion of the video, which features the comedian interviewing people in politics. This includes an amusing segment with Herman Cain, who clearly has no idea who the President of Uzbekistan is. This makes him look a bit foolish, but really, I’m not sure I blame him. The video then concludes with more than a minute of short clips of Oliver trying out some oddball activities, which is always good for a few laughs. Beyond these things, there are also more than a few jokes about balls. And then Oliver cries, which of course should make your heart melt, and might even make you a bit blurry around the eyes, as well. I’m feeling weepy just writing about it.
If you haven’t been keeping up with Oliver’s story, he’s headed to HBO to headline his own television series. Unlike Seth Meyers, who has stuck around on SNL for several months before the premiere of his own headlining show, Oliver’s big move has happened with a little more pace. Just a little over a month ago, the announcement was made that Oliver had nabbed a topical HBO program. It is expected to premiere in 2014, and it makes sense that the man would quit at the end of 2013 to give himself time to prep for the new gig.
We already know he’s capable. Oliver rocked out on the Daily Show as its host this summer. Stewart was out directing his first feature film, and Oliver led the charge for eight weeks while his partner in crime was out. The buzz surrounding Oliver’s brief tenure as host was high, and HBO took notice. Currently, there’s no official premiere date for Oliver’s new series, but we’ll keep you posted as that news is released.
In the meantime, here’s another excellent montage from Comedy Central giving us a look at some of Oliver’s finest and funniest moments.
