Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | TV | July 7, 2026
John Oliver is fulfilling a long-time dream right now by appearing on the soap opera General Hospital. He made a public plea to the surviving giants of the genre to cast him on a role, and they delivered. He had a few stipulations, however. He wanted to play a character, not himself, and he wanted to have a silly name. He wanted a dramatic close-up. And crucially, he wanted to have a big, showy, and preferrably ridiculous storyline, like being someone’s long lost something. Ideally, he wanted to slap someone or be slapped. How could the writers say no to that?
Oliver’s three-episode arc had him playing a shadowy figure known as Z. He arrived in a helicopter, flanked by guards with snipers, because of course he did (but still on a soap budget), and he got to shoot someone himself. He was later confronted by Carly, played by Laura Wright, over her daughter Josslyn’s recruitment to the mysterious and seemingly all-powerful World Securities Bureau that Z works for. Apparently, Josslyn is in a tough place right now following the murder of her boyfriend, and Carly thinks Z is exploiting that for his own nefarious needs. She demanded that Z let her go. Z said no. And then the slap!
Iconic. Get me the gifs now. We’re running his Daytime Emmy campaign!
It’s amazing how quickly this all came together but such is the world of soaps. You sleep in for an hour and you’ve missed the writing and filming of at least two episodes. And it’s not done! He’s going to be on Days of Our Lives for three episodes this August, albeit with a more ridiculous haircut. Come on, soap world, let Oliver complete the set!
