Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | January 16, 2026
When you picture a raging anti-authority figure in your mind, it may not be a delightful British man who wears glasses like it’s his job. But, dagnabbit, that’s who John Oliver is. The longtime host and comedian has been railing against corporate overlords for as long as he has graced our television screens. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who looks more gleeful as they are taking shots at the people who sign their checks on the very show those people provided.
That’s part of the appeal of Oliver. It’s not just that he has used his platform to deliver impassioned pleas to the public about healthcare, elder abuse, or copious issues plaguing everyday Americans. He also does so by flipping a big middle finger to those in charge who look to abuse those without the power to fight back. But what happens when Oliver’s new boss could potentially be someone who is already trying to be a voice for an authoritarian President? According to Oliver, not a damn thing.
Yes, Netflix submitted the winning bid for Warner Bros. However, crybaby billionaire David Ellison is not fighting the purchase tooth-and-nail, so his daddy doesn’t exclude him from the next shunting (allegedly. Also, watch Society.). This has involved Ellison (and his company/plaything Paramount) suing Netflix, as well as him jet-setting to Europe in an attempt to thwart the sale happening overseas. It’s all icky, and Oliver revealed to former Daily Show host Trevor Noah that he is not sweating it.
“I think mergers are generally bad. I think you’re always hoping for the least bad option,” Oliver explained on Noah’s podcast. “I think that the key thing for us is to act with enough aggression or confidence… I will act assuming nothing is going to happen. We’re not going to change, right?” It’s not like Oliver hasn’t had a new “Business Daddy” before, so his give-no-clucks attitude should come as no surprise. That doesn’t make it any less encouraging.
It isn’t as though Oliver is certain he will keep his job. As he mentions in the interview, “You know, these things come with cuts.” He also questions the legality of the whole endeavor. What he’s not doing is preemptively kissing the ring of his potential new masters. Oliver isn’t getting on his knees and praising David Ellison’s Chad-Squidward-like face or Ted Sarandos’ blind hatred of elitist movie theaters. He’s staying true to himself, and that’s more than we can say for a lot of people who have faced such pressure as of late.
