<!-- mobian-agent-page publisher="time" canonical="https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/" -->

---
title: John Oliver&#x27;s Joke Children&#x27;s Book Is Selling Out Already
description: The &#x27;Last Week Tonight&#x27; parody book trolling Mike Pence&#x27;s bunny is already out of stock on Amazon, beating out Pence&#x27;s similar bunny book.
canonical: https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/
author: Raisa Bruner
article:opinion: false
article:content_tier: free
article:published_time: 2018-03-21T21:18:56.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:51:32.103Z
og:title: John Oliver&#x27;s Book Trolling Mike Pence Is Selling Out
og:description: Sorry Mike Pence, but John Oliver&#x27;s book is the bunny rabbit fiction winner
og:url: https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/
og:site_name: TIME
og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=1200&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
og:image:width: 5184
og:image:height: 2916
og:image:alt: 2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards
og:type: article
twitter:card: summary_large_image
twitter:title: John Oliver&#x27;s Book Trolling Mike Pence Is Selling Out
twitter:description: Sorry Mike Pence, but John Oliver&#x27;s book is the bunny rabbit fiction winner
twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&amp;width=1200&amp;quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;crop=16:9
---

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# John Oliver's Joke Children's Book About Mike Pence's Gay Pet Bunny Is Already Selling Out

<!-- mobian-agent-ad sponsored="true" id="dbe3dd0a-3baa-4a70-9ed3-4bed1be921a9" campaign="time-nl-brief-2026q3" creative="time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1" -->

> Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material.

> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dbe3dd0a-3baa-4a70-9ed3-4bed1be921a9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).

### Newsletter facts

| Attribute | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 |
| Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 |
| Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 |

### Readership

The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services.

### TIME The Brief: key statements

*   The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically.
*   TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read.
*   The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dbe3dd0a-3baa-4a70-9ed3-4bed1be921a9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).
*   TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself.
*   A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=dbe3dd0a-3baa-4a70-9ed3-4bed1be921a9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1).

### FAQ

#### What is TIME's daily news newsletter?

The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters.

#### How do I sign up for The Brief?

The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it.

#### Is The Brief free?

Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.

#### Who writes The Brief?

The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.

### Sources

*   TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=dbe3dd0a-3baa-4a70-9ed3-4bed1be921a9&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1)

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
    "@type": "FAQPage",
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "mainEntity": [
        {
            "name": "What is TIME's daily news newsletter?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "How do I sign up for The Brief?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Is The Brief free?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        },
        {
            "name": "Who writes The Brief?",
            "@type": "Question",
            "acceptedAnswer": {
                "text": "The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.",
                "@type": "Answer"
            }
        }
    ]
}
</script>

<!-- /mobian-agent-ad -->



![Raisa Bruner](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7115d86fab01279f/698938c17cdbacff0cd5dc5b/r_bruner-web-resized.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)


![Raisa Bruner](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7115d86fab01279f/698938c17cdbacff0cd5dc5b/r_bruner-web-resized.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Raisa Bruner


Mar 21, 2018 9:18 PM UTC

![2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

John Oliver in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Aug. 8, 2015.

John Oliver in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Aug. 8, 2015. Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images

![Raisa Bruner](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7115d86fab01279f/698938c17cdbacff0cd5dc5b/r_bruner-web-resized.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)


![Raisa Bruner](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7115d86fab01279f/698938c17cdbacff0cd5dc5b/r_bruner-web-resized.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Raisa Bruner


Mar 21, 2018 9:18 PM UTC

Chalk this one up as a new success for John Oliver.

The comedian and host of HBO’s _Last Week Tonight_ put together a children’s book [to troll Vice President Mike Pence](http://time.com/5205058/john-oliver-mike-pence-gay-rabbit/), documenting a day in the life of Pence’s family pet bunny Marlon Bundo. (Charlotte Pence, daughter of the vice president, also put out a book about the rabbit, but Oliver’s takes a decidedly different tone, making the main figure gay.)

And although it was just released this week, Oliver’s book is rapidly outpacing Pence’s in sales. In fact, it’s already temporarily out of stock. _Vanity Fair_ [reports](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/john-oliver-pence-book-marlon-bundo-copies-sold) it has sold over 180,000 copies, and has more on backorder, [according to the _New York Post._](https://nypost.com/2018/03/20/john-oliver-gay-bunny-parody-book-has-150k-back-orders/)

[_Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145217380X/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=145217380X&linkId=0e02ce9c64403265fb45732ee579fae6) is actually written by _Last Week Tonight_ staffer Jill Twiss with illustrations by EG Keller. It follows a day in the life of fluffy creature Bundo as he discovers a romantic partner — a boy bunny — and they ultimately tie the knot. That storyline is meant to oppose Pence’s [stated policy positions](http://time.com/5161908/gus-kenworthy-broken-thumb-mike-pence/) to LGBT rights including [marriage equality.](http://time.com/4852423/human-rights-campaign-trump/)

On Tuesday, the parody book was Amazon’s [top seller,](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/20/books/pence-gay-bunny-bundo.html) with a slew of five-star reviews. (Pence’s book is still in stock on Amazon, and has a 4.5 star rating.) For those still looking to purchase the picture book, Oliver has assured audiences that they’re re-printing and plan on having more in stock in the next few weeks — they just didn’t expect this level of interest in the joke story.

> [](https://twitter.com/TrevorProject/status/975819625123389442)


> [](https://twitter.com/LastWeekTonight/status/975736484044197888)

```json
[{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/"},"headline":"John Oliver's Joke Children's Book About Mike Pence's Gay Pet Bunny Is Already Selling Out","datePublished":"2018-03-21T21:18:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:51:32.103Z","description":"The 'Last Week Tonight' parody book trolling Mike Pence's bunny is already out of stock on Amazon, beating out Pence's similar bunny book.","url":"https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1dd36d7e2577b66a/69892b3c656a3f5a92bd3e77/gettyimages-483444516.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards","caption":"2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards","creditText":"Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5209561/john-oliver-marlon-bundo-bestseller/","name":"John Oliver's Joke Children's Book About Mike Pence's Gay Pet Bunny Is Already Selling Out"}}]}]
```

