“Being funny and writing jokes are very similar to just being observant.”
“The hardest part of having to be funny for a living is the days when you’re not feeling funny. No matter how accomplished people become working in comedy, there’s always that moment of thinking, ‘Am I a fraud?’ Everyone has those days.”
“I tend to be on the quieter side in social situations, which is one reason I was lucky to marry my wife. She’s much better at parties, so I just tag along.”
“I was pretty funny when I got to Dartmouth, but the people I met there had a tremendous influence on me in terms of comedy, in terms of voice. I met a lot of truly funny people—through campus life, the Jack-O-Lantern, improv, and stand-up—who were extremely generous with their feedback and their time.”
“Never did my parents say to me, ‘Now it’s time to get serious and go into investment banking,’ but in 2008, investment banking wasn’t a great choice.” “I like tackling topics people aren’t talking about. It might surprise many how hard Last Week researchers and writers work to build an ironclad case for anything John Oliver discusses. We keep our eyes open for things that fascinate us personally, and that passion seems to resonate with viewers.”
“Every comedian has his own way of reading sentences. Writing for Trevor Noah or Jon Stewart was different than writing for John Oliver. Despite my not being British, the way he speaks is closer to the way I hear things in my head.”
“Especially in times like these, the pressure to make people laugh is always there. While on paternity leave recently, keeping a small being alive was a nice change from dealing with the thorny issues facing the world and democracy.”
“Cynicism can be a useful tool, but it stops working when it becomes motivation not to work on things, to give up. It’s helpful to ward off naiveté but not if it becomes your dominant view of the world.”
“For my own entertainment, I like shows that are very joke-dense. Andre Braugher’s delivery on Brooklyn Nine-Nine never fails to make me laugh. Very hard.”
“I encourage people to watch Last Week Tonight live, Sunday nights at 11 p.m. on HBO, to keep our ratings up. If people who tune in to whatever prestige drama is on Sunday nights would just leave their TVs on until the British guy stops talking, that would be fantastic. If people want to see me perform, I can occasionally be found at random bars in Brooklyn.”
Notable Achievements
- Started work, after graduating with an A.B. in English, on the ad sales side of CollegeHumor.com, then landed a performance role; subsequently wrote for The Daily Show, 2014-17, then for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, 2017-18, before joining HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He has won eight Emmy Awards.
- Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he lives with wife and baby daughter in Brooklyn
