During a sit-down with reporters earlier this year before his third season of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver smelled something burning. The brunch buffet for the group had gotten a little too hot, and Oliver jumped out of his seat and started wildly fanning and stirring the eggs. It was a random moment of chaos that Oliver turned into some improv comedy.
And it's not surprising, because no matter the situation, Oliver can turn it into off-the-cuff hilarity. Take the Emmys on Sunday, for example. It was a three-hour slog through forced jokes and awkward scripted bits, all hosted by the hit-or-miss Jimmy Kimmel. But there was one moment that was truly funny: When Oliver went on stage to accept the Emmy for best variety talk series for Last Week Tonight. He kind of just spitballed a few names then cracked some topical jokes referencing another acceptance speech, then asked the band to play him off.
Then he went backstage for another equally self-deprecating press conference with journalists where, among other things, he completely destroyed an Australian journalist for her country's immigration policy and made fun of all the journalists that jumped into questions about Donald Trump without even congratulating him for the show's Emmy win.
If you've ever watched one of the many interviews with John Oliver, not a single one is ever the same. His anecdotes are different, his jokes are always of-the-moment, and his comments on current events are always unique. They balance, like his show, the perfect line of insightful and hilarious; valuable and entertaining.
Last night he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live (the show he beat for the Emmy) to share his experience from this weekend's award show. All of it is pretty great, from his fanboy-ing of Hugh Laurie to the losing face he practiced.
And his ability to participate in meaningful dialogue is part of what makes his show so brilliant. The show consists almost entirely of him sitting behind a desk giving a monologue, but there's something so conversational about how he delivers jokes and lines. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a good percentage of material on the show that's improvised by Oliver.
So, can we make the case for him being the funniest man in America right now? Well, considering his late night talk show just won the Emmy in its category, and considering Jon Stewart is no longer on TV, and Stephen Colbert is restricted by a major network program, Oliver is certainly leading the charge of topical political comedy right now. And we're lucky to have him.
