S1 E18: Miss America, Cuba Embargo & Scotland Update: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Season 1, Episode 18, September 21st, 2014. Kathy Griffin helps John Oliver stage his own version of a Miss America pageant, and he discusses the embargo in Cuba, an update on Scottish independence, more disappointing news from the NFL, and a weird election in New Zealand.
Connect with Last Week Tonight online...
Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight KZbin channel for more almost news as it almost happens: / lastweektonight
Find Last Week Tonight on Facebook like your mom would: lastweektonight
Follow us on Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news: lastweektonight
Visit our official site for all that other stuff at once: www.hbo.com/lastweektonight

[@swordswaltzing]

10:55 “ah yes, the us and israel together alone again” these episodes really are being released at the right time

[@thinkingoverage12]

This is AMAZING. The Miss America story is the first segment I ever saw from this show, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Happy I get to see whole episodes now.

[@sweetpealee056]

Consider the fact that at that time the organization was owned by Donald Trump! Now does the fraud/grift sound familiar?!

[@u3u_o3o]

It's one of their best segments to this day!!

[@pesmerga4862]

i heard Shaxx saying this

[@jaymiller5669]

Same!

[@Mjbjr666]

It's easily one of my favorite shows!

[@smac1706]

Watching this from 2024 is honestly terrifying. The amount of issues we were having back then that are still going on, and in some cases have gotten worse, is absolutely ridiculous. I wish people would grow up....😢

[@ianriggs]

I thought exactly the same thing 🙄

[@emvv3784]

It’s almost like the fundamental problem is capitalism and until that changes nothing else will

[@HashknightGaming]

Hopeful thinking.

[@Britt4770]

And it's sad to see some of the outcomes 😢.

[@tylerwieczorek6011]

Oh John, if only you knew you were talking about a future president 🤣🤣

[@trinafirey1175]

What a depressing fact.

[@ianriggs]

Oh he does in the newer shows and man does he have fun with Trump. He's such a moron it's easy for this show to get lots of material

[@maryroberts589]

I thought the same thing. This did not age well at all!

[@bwv668]

​@@maryroberts589 What do you mean, if anything he should have leaned even more into it. The only thing that didn't age well are America's voting results.

[@MKEDANFAM]

This guy✊️

[@jannetteberends8730]

The Scot’s regretted their choice a lot. They wanted to stay in the EU, and now have to deal with all those Brexit miseries.

[@kareningram6093]

I had totally forgotten about this election, and while I was watching this I realized, "Oh no... this is pre-Brexit." Poor Scotland.

[@mikeharris1987]

John Oliver has since said he changed his position on this too, also citing Brexit

[@thestorytellingmathematician]

yh me and all my friends really hope theres another referendum At Some Point cause none of us wanna stay in the uk

[@IJayAmLegend]

the Scots were lied to, on paper, a written agreement, vote for UK, as 'the only way to avoid brexit' ...and now, Rishi

[@DrMcFly28]

"Yes, we decided we'd rather stay, you truly suck England, but the perks of being in a priviliged position in EU are just too great." "Cool, thanks Scotland! By the way, since you mentioned it..." 😗

[@Ex_ordium]

This was the moment where organizations and corporations realized that if they heard their name on Last Week Tonight, their Legal, PR, and Executive teams were going to have a very, very long week.

[@switchmuso]

HOOOAAAAAA! best comment mate!

[@OnyxLee]

Not really. They just need to take a vacation. When they come back, nothing will change. History has told us again and again that all these issues still exist, some even more serious.

[@jerrys.9895]

On Nov 2, 2023 The U.N. General Assembly called for the ending of the Cuban embargo. For the 31st time.

[@walterfristoe4643]

If you think "almost dead" isn't a thing, you've obviously not seen The Princess Bride! 🤣

[@CJFerg81]

Inconceivable!

[@octohunter7775]

He's only mostly dead

[@QuadraticPerplexity]

"Pretty Legal" sounds like a competing film studio's sitcom response to the success of "Legally Blonde".

[@Dog_gone_it]

Who else is binge watching John Oliver reruns on KZbin in 2024? 😅

[@rayla1780]

Not I 🚫.

[@coalblooded]

Probably at least 97% of his fanbase? I can't tell if your comment is serious or not...

[@mylesserry6219]

Me

[@andrewm1857]

Me :)

[@ChrisJones-bx8dj]

I discovered John Oliver about two years ago. He and...his staff dig deep to gather actual facts about anything you see on his show. I doubt just about anything I see in the news, but nothing I see on "Last week tonight".

[@paddle_my_mad_laddle]

I remember pirating these episodes 10 years ago! So glad to have them back on youtube!

[@Viviorkogaming]

I remember paying and really enjoying it live.

[@acedianihil8208]

@@Viviorkogaming so like, did that comment make you feel real good? this is a nearly 10 year old episode, no one is young here now.

[@Satsujinki1973]

I think it was 2016 or 2017 I started watching the illegal uploads on KZbin before they got copyright claimed. I don't think it was available in NZ yet then. Now I still occasionally pirate it an hour or two before it hits the streaming service it is on here because I can't be bothered waiting lol.

[@merryme9766]

Teachable headline news🥋......🎱All women's lawn care service topless fare way wacked parks and wrecking b-all Park City budget is this a great state or what when you can bury river dump-stir cops preachers journalist church goers unless lucky enough to get one walking on bike trails after sun down budget spent well⛸️....🍞just for them🥌.....🛼to hobby ire-Rack lobby A-Z let tax payer figure it out themselves........🇦🇱

[@KY_CPA]

Yay for getting to binge season 1 in a day 🥹

[@kimberknutson831]

This man is a National Treasure. Thank you. : ) 💚

[@HLBear]

Even international! He's just the best. 😊

[@kimberknutson831]

@@HLBear Agreed. : )

[@calliopeshif7581]

Kinda hard hearing him refer to Canada as having a "perfect human rights record" in the joke at 12:57, given how they treated their indigenous population.

[@Machobunni]

America: "hold my beer"

[@mrwassef]

And also that whole war crimes issue during WWI 😂

[@seymourdemonica9264]

Don't think too much about it. It's probably just a play on the stereotype that Canadians are polite. If they wanted a more thorough bit, they could have comedically provided the asterisk about their indigenous population, though it's not always necessary.

[@Forrealnow09]

I believe he was referring to the score Freedom House gave Canada in 2014 as opposed to China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. Canada received a 1.0 and a rating of “free.” I just looked it up out of curiosity. I think it was their records as measured by freedom house rather than history or John’s opinion.

[@calliopeshif7581]

@@vera5203 I'm well aware of their actions in the Congo as well, you're right about that - though I don't think that was meant to be the joke.

[@T.C.-st8uz]

You can tell how much John loves his job when he gets into it about Miss America.

[@johnchessant3012]

S1 E18 (aired September 21, 2014)

[@maddie5412]

Ty🙏🙏

[@249aaa]

THANK YOU oh my god you’d think they’ve have at least posted the yr it aired

[@kareningram6093]

Thank you for posting these on each episode. Much appreciated.

[@o.mcneely4424]

That cheering for Scotland staying in the UK aged really poorly after 2016 😬

[@carterf3585]

Weird to see him use a metric like “Freedom House score” without interrogating how it gets measured. The jokes were funnier back in season 1 but their investigative journalism has improved by leaps and bounds since then. 2024 LWT would have torn a report like that to shreds.

[@thekneethief3288]

It's lovely to see the full episodes. I got hooked when my highschool social teacher showed us the scotland piece, and it's been years now. I still come back to the old pieces.

[@stevenbollinger9776]

"I FEEL BAD ABOUT MYSELF!" Stuck the landing. Nicely done, John.

[@seymourdemonica9264]

Haha. The "deez nuts" gag is 10+ years old? Time flies.

[@DrewSavo]

The best part of these gags is you never see them coming, you hate that someone brought it back, but you love that they happened.

[@Tonyhouse1168]

That gag goes back to at least 1991 on Dr Dre’s album The Chronic

[@AnkyloSolo]

8:01 is this where the hamster obsession come from, John?

[@michaeladams5332]

Funny we were at war with north Vietnam and now we are great buddies but Cuba who never went to war with us are still out

[@jimm6810]

We have a bunch of Cuban exiles living in Florida that refuse to allow normalization of diplomatic and trade relations with Cuba.

[@rhunt0210]

​@jimm6810. Which makes no sense to me.

[@zachgoldwater957]

@@rhunt0210 arent there a bunch of students protesting their colleges affiliation with Isreal right now?

[@ruekurei88]

@@rhunt0210It’s still a dictatorship. But since Cuba doesn’t have my oil or vital resources that the US needs, the government sees no point in being friendly with them unlike other dictatorships they cozy up with. They say there is a national security issue there because of Cubas close relationship with Russia and their proximity to the US, but I don’t know how much of that is a concern on this day and age.

[@oregonvibez]

17:16 sounds familiar - oh wait this is 10 years old 😂

[@UnicornCentaur]

Giuseppe is so wholesome lol

[@kristinemunholland8980]

And hot

[@musicauthority674]

And you are so superficial.

[@geoffchurchill5492]

no like UK, we don't call him eminem, we call him Smarties

[@kddicks5115]

Nothing finer than vintage Oliver😎😎

[@davidbelen7199]

That dos xx joke had me seriously cracking up 😂😂😂

[@jaymiller5669]

My favorite News outlet. Love you guys writing and working on this show!

[@LunaryxDiarmait]

That Trump statement is true to this day. Ironic.

[@ecritdelajaponographie8565]

12:59 I hope someone eventually told John about the forced-duplicitous sterilization of indigenous women...

[@o.mcneely4424]

And the horrors of Belgium in the so called “Congo Free State”.

[@elizabeththompson7046]

😢

[@odorousobject8165]

RIP anthony bourdain lmao

[@jiedcogahilme676]

#ThankyouHBO for making the complete episodes available. I can't even access HBO where I live.

[@calumproctor981]

Belgium having "a perfect human rights record"?!

[@AG-ld6rv]

23:30 I wonder what it looks like back there. How many people are pulling these forms and making calls? 🤣

[@pleappleappleap]

Does anyone remember why the Jetsons lived in apartments on stilts? It was AIR POLLUTION!

[@hardenedvictory]

There’s also a fan theory that it occurs at the same time as the flintstones, and the surface of the earth is post apocalyptic.

[@Onigirli]

@@hardenedvictory God I hate those "dark" theories so much. I blame my fellow millennials

[@RabidAmoeba]

A 🤡made of Mummified Foreskin and Cotton🍬👍

[@e.enriquez4589]

Eff you Giuseppe! Team John all the way

[@Satsujinki1973]

Yay!! New Zealand's first mention! I wonder if John regrets any tiny bit of influence he might have had on Scotland voting to stay given how the next 10 years played out.

[@morganmay9149]

“Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back”

[@rhunt0210]

John Wick!

[@sharonmontag2389]

Apparently, there is a very large, very vocal, very political contingent of descendents of Cubans who were expelled from Cuba. They lost all of their property and whatever else when Castro kicked them out. They still hold a lot against Cuba.

[@luminair11]

Love the last segment to this video......John Oliver is a hoot!

[@Rice-bowl214]

Love you John

[@tee_es_bee]

Thank you for releasing the entire first season from a current HBO subscriber! 🧡💛🧡

[@kimmariefaber4636]

As a Canadian I visit Cuba regularly, love it there for its lack-of-Americanism; it’s clean, safe, no guns and almost no crime!😊

[@benvallentine7197]

She did say “$44m MADE AVAILABLE”.. not that they do spend $44m.

[@Krystal109]

I feel like nowadays LWT's team would have caught that almost immediately... they've gotten so much better at understanding and seeing through BS.

[@PeaceToday2011]

A perfect Human Rights record from Belgium?!? I think you can forget about those Smurfs.

[@wikidleigh]

Oh, I'm picking John over Giuseppe any day! Rawr

[@nebulan]

I do like a guy in glasses...

[@msr91331]

It is always weird when you watch older shows before Trump went into office and people just reference him as a business person or a quasi-celebrity.

[@christopherparks2987]

Or a clown made of mummified foreskin and cotton candy

[@joannejohnson7006]

😂this is the best thing on cable or anywhere 😂

[@dimtool]

I need to find that clip to see what Sam Seder's response was to "The Jetsons" lmao

[@hoodiesticks]

I've had many "Oh God I'm old" moments over the years, but none hit quite as hard as realizing Deez Nuts jokes are 10 years old

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

"My client pleas... probably not. Just having a crack." 😂 Sentence wouldn't matter. I'd die laughing

[@coalblooded]

Craic*

[@michaelyoung6381]

Congratulations Josepi!!!

[@Onigirli]

I hope they re-do the episodes shot during lockdown but with the audience this time... I like hearing their reactions

[@DMT4Dinner]

That’s how I laugh 😂

[@user-cs8zc6gf6t]

YOU ARE WONDERFULLY INSIGHTFUL TRULY APPRECIATE YOU !!!!!!!

[@morganthomas1835]

Awesome!

[@MascotTroy]

Does anyone else see the irony in that this piece on Miss America is sponsored by HIMS, a med for erectile disfunction?

[@ThisOrThat13]

19:10 and then he became the United States President....

[@Sara-mf3px]

Always down to rewatch Last Week Tonight!! 💗🫶🍷🍿

[@vanillathunder3024]

The guy in the background of the Ian Ziering part definitely was there with someone other than his wife, lol.

[@tim8323]

10:40 How could they have messed up that China overlay? The borders are right there.

[@HinekoAkahi]

DJT Jumpscare 😬

[@switchmuso]

BEST.EPISODE.EVER.

[@hitthegoat]

Here’s the rub though: they said they make $45 million AVAILABLE. That doesn’t mean they give out that much. I’m sure somewhere in their budget is that “available” scholarship fund, but they don’t actually pay any of that out

[@namegoeshere3838]

Clowns are already scary but now I can never eat cotton candy again!! Thanks John

[@nicklasreviews]

I miss the old energy of the show - more nerdy, more fun, more pointed jokes

[@jasonjimerson7046]

19:20 - And he became the 45th President of the United States and is currently trying to become its 47th.

[@motalux]

good to know what the "wallaby kick those iminim burglars" line references

[@jinh605]

17:05 hearing beatrice horseman ask a question at the miss america pageant about government surveillance is quite bizarre.

[@stshack]

It’s more like Mr. Ed😂

[@calcal3438]

Omg I completely forgot about John Key. Wonder where he is now

[@kerryorr2784]

It’s like when someone says “that’s the $64,000 question”

[@MrDarling1502]

Can these include the original air date?

[@AR-ed3xw]

What will that do for you? If you really feel you need to know, just type the season and episode number into Google and you can find out!

[@AaronHahnStudios]

10:10 in. It was NEVER the "Cuban Missile Crisis" it was "The Turkey Missile Crisis" . America Moved it's ICBM's to Turkey FIRST!

[@smitty5890]

Now if we could get those numbers in the US.

[@cathyleatherman3097]

If we don’t Trump will cost us our democracy

[@Jcewazhere]

Sam Seder! Forgot he was on MSNBC a lot back in the day.

[@davidfuentes9957]

My Zaddy Sam Seder is there at 7:07

[@musicauthority674]

The Jetsons it was, George Jetson, Jane his wife, and their boy Elroy, and their daughter Judy and their dog Astro.

[@janeshaughnessy4543]

And daughter Judy

[@musicauthority674]

@@janeshaughnessy4543 that's correct, I spaced it but I corrected it in my comment. thanks.

[@farishanafiah8461]

3:39 That is cute. 🤣😂😂

[@AvaBrachfeld]

Personally, I think it’s funny that it’s just shy of 60 years now and people are still making Jetsons references on national tv

[@blakemagnus6633]

7:04 I think I smell some Cedar. A tree, perhaps?

[@heatherrockwell9012]

They were really failing at defending from the journalism allegations early, weren't they?

[@GSalem-ek5zb]

omg yay also wow I hate being alive :)

[@calliopeshif7581]

Don't know you, but I genuinely hope things look up for you. Best wishes, internet stranger.

[@Justabadseed]

"Kind of dead": zombies and vampires

[@jameshauck9148]

Holy shit Sam Seder looked so young in that clip

[@bwenluck9812]

Time's up, Miss America!

[@joshuaevans6295]

Remember the first time Scotland voted to remain?

[@tarkovshmarkov8011]

10 years 😂

[@user-rc2yf8kt7i]

Originally I was so confused why they kept bringing up Obama as if he were president.

[@ErutaniaRose]

Miss America is honestly WILD. And concerning that this is one of the largest ways to "provide" scholarships for women. It isn't accessible to disabled women for the most part, and focuses so much on looks, despite those complex political questions. And they don't even give them out right or do math right. I don't think it's bad that it provides scholarships for women, but it shouldn't be THE LARGEST provider while also not doing shit and fucking up at every turn. Especially with all those official rules. Edit: Added more after watching.

[@QueenKunta]

7:07 it’s so wild to see Sam Seder here haha

[@opuntiaechios9683]

Listing Canada and Belgium as the countries with perfect human rights records 😬😅 nobody tell John about Native Americans or the Congo

[@larah9870]

Congo is an independent state for more than 50 years!😉 we can’t be blamed forever for having a colony and by the way people from Congo don’t blame us as we have very cordial relationship with Congo nowadays !

[@CJFerg81]

19:04 … and your future POTUS 😂

[@Cherokie89]

12:55 Canada committed genocide until pretty recently

[@marziavazi]

Can you add subtitles in more languages? 🙏🏼

[@portmantologist]

12:54 I guess John hasn't heard about residential schools or the Belgian Congo.

[@donduderino7636]

7:28 @jimmycarr laugh track

[@beccaandgoodman]

Strippers can relate to a sticky ass and scholarship money lol

[@kateuhler7803]

How very perfect that the orange man who owned the Miss America Pageant used 45 (million) as it's number to LIE with. 😂

[@samuelrousser9014]

Look, orange man bad and all but he doesn't/didn't ever own Miss America. As stated in the video he owned Miss USA. We don't need to make up stuff to be mad at him about, lets stick to the real shitty stuff he's done.

[@Krystal109]

@@samuelrousser9014 but make-believe is how all the Trump supporters get through their days...