When comedian John Oliver bid adieu to season 7 of his show Last Week Tonight, he did in his own way by blowing up "2020" and calling the year an absolute "parade of misery".
Oliver closed his final show of the year by telling 2020 it could "go f*** itself". The late-night show host had a blistering assessment of "terrible" 2020 and highlighted the bad events of the year from the coronavirus pandemic, the Australian wildfires and mass unemployment.
He also noted the deaths of actor Chadwick Boseman, civil rights icon John Lewis and former US Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as videos of police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death.
"This year has been an absolute parade of misery," the host said toward the end of Sunday's Last Week Tonight season finale. Stepping outside of his makeshift studio for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Oliver again found himself in front of a giant set of numbers to mark the year.
"In January alone, Australia was being ravaged by wildfires, Kobe Bryant died, and for a few days, it really seemed like America was about to go to war with Iran. That was all this year," Vty Fair quoted him as saying. "And that was before the coronavirus exploded and everything got even worse: mass unemployment, evictions, that video of those celebrities singing 'Imagine.' It was really terrible," he added.
After citing the deaths of Chadwick Boseman, John Lewis, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Oliver walked away from the giant white "2020" sign.
"This year ruined lives, jobs, concerts, and sty," he said. "It also brought a new wave of wrenching videos of police brutality that brought on a national reckoning with race and a ferocious and depressing backlash. And sure the presidential election ended well, but it was grim to live through--and Trump won't actually leave office until next January."
Having found himself at a safe distance from the sign, Oliver pulled out what looked like a detonator. "Let tomorrow be about solutions," the host said as dramatic music swelled. "Today is about vengeance. Fuck you, 2020. Get fucked." With that, he pressed a button and the sign exploded in a blaze of glory.
In the latest episode, Oliver condemned Trump's refusal to publicly concede to Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election.
"As a parting gift to the country, Trump is somehow managing to divide us even further while also hobbling his successor at the worst possible time which is absolutely unforgivable," he said.
"At least in the short term, things are going to suck for a while, but we have to try and repair this damage."
Oliver did a similar stunt in 2016 also in which he ran a clip showing news events such as Brexit, the refugee crisis, and Donald Trump winning the US election. "Fuck you, 2016," Oliver said during the season finale for Last Week Tonight before detonating a giant "2016" sign.
( With inputs from ANI )
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