Last month, British comedian John Oliver dedicated nearly an entire episode of his ‘Last Week Tonight’ show on HBO to critique and satirize Elon Musk. He humorously pointed out that the Tesla CEO held the title of “the world’s richest person and the first person ever to lose $200 billion.” The central theme of Oliver’s critique revolved around the potential dangers arising from Musk’s immense power, stating, “I’m probably now more impressed by what he’s doing, but more worried by the fact that he’s the one who’s been doing it.”
While the segment also acknowledged Musk’s remarkable accomplishments, the billionaire Tesla CEO fired back, criticizing Oliver for “pandering to wokeism” and accusing him of lacking humor. Now, John Oliver has responded, albeit reluctantly, when questioned by a journalist.
In a video posted by TMZ, Oliver answered questions while on his way from the airport to his vehicle after winning two Emmys over the weekend. When asked about the accusation of being unfunny, Oliver replied, “Sure, it’s a fair argument.”
However, in response to the accusation of “pandering to wokism,” Oliver expressed bewilderment. “I don’t know what that means. I don’t think [Musk] could explain what that means. I think it means nothing,” he says with a laugh.
Read: John Oliver Roasts Elon Musk Over Power Trips, Antisemitism, Rocket Man Hits Back
TMZ then inquired about why Musk has been particularly focused on him since the episode of Last Week Tonight.
“You’re going to have to track him down and ask him. I don’t know. That’s a thin skin,” Oliver replied. “I cannot possibly pretend to guess what is in that man’s mind at any time. He seems wounded,” he added. “… He’s definitely sensitive, that is a biological fact.”
Musk’s invocation of the “wokeness” is no surprise, though. As Oliver pointed out in his segment, since the pandemic, an increasing number of right wing talking points have entered the CEO’s vernacular, and he has shared more and more conspiratorial rhetoric, including promoting antisemitic hate on his social media site, X.
Although he apologized for the post calling an antisemitic conspiracy theory “the actual truth,” it led many advertisers to flee the website. That tendency to share hate speech and to take rash decisions are what Oliver pointed to as concerning him about the executive’s power and wealth.
This may not be the last spat we hear about between the two men, as Oliver admits that he “would imagine that the relationship between the richest man in the world — second-richest — and a mid-tier comedian will probably evaporate.”
It is rather tragic to see an otherwise capable comedian like @iamjohnoliver become weak sauce.
The reason he is not very funny these days is because he is too keen to pander to wokeness, which is fundamentally a lie, whereas great humor requires revealed truth.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 2, 2024