John Oliver (Last Week Tonight, Community) will remain at HBO for at least one more year. According to Deadline, Oliver has signed new 12-month agreement that will keep Last Week Tonight on the network through the end of 2027.
His previous contract was scheduled to expire this year. The length of the extension stands out because Oliver has generally signed three-year agreements with HBO since the late-night series launched in 2014.
Deadline notes the shorter deal arrives as Paramount’s planned $110 billion acquisition of HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery remains tied up in lawsuits. Oliver has regularly used Last Week Tonight to criticize HBO’s corporate owners, which he refers to as the show’s “Business Daddies.” Past targets have included AT&T and Warner Bros. Discovery executive David Zaslav.
In March, Oliver addressed Paramount’s agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery after the company outbid Netflix. “It turns out we might be getting a new business daddy. Yeah, not great news,” Oliver said. “If I may quote anyone who’s ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote, ‘Oh sht, I’m in Paramount now. How the fck do I get out of this?’”
The extension follows the show’s return earlier this year. As mxdwn previously reported, Season 13 premiered on HBO and HBO Max in February, continuing the series’ mix of weekly commentary, investigative reporting and comedy.
That coverage also highlighted the show’s long awards history, including 32 Emmy wins and 10 consecutive victories in its program and writing categories. Earlier this month, HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys was asked about Oliver’s future after Last Week Tonight received another Emmy nomination.
“We are talking to John, and would love to have that continue,” Bloys said at the time. Season 13 will continue through November. Oliver later confirmed the extension during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Last Week Tonight is produced by Avalon and Oliver’s Sixteen String Jack Productions. Oliver serves as an executive producer alongside Tim Carvell (Last Week Tonight, The Daily Show), Liz Stanton (Last Week Tonight, Real Time with Bill Maher), Jon Thoday (Last Week Tonight, Taskmaster) and James Taylor (Last Week Tonight, The Daily Show). Paul Pennolino (Last Week Tonight, The Daily Show) directs.
While the agreement secures the show through 2027, its unusually short length leaves Oliver’s longer-term future at HBO unresolved as Warner Bros. Discovery’s potential ownership change continues.