--- title: John Oliver Calls Out Authoritarianism on Last Week Tonight description: "The world is dabbling with something very dangerous right now and America needs to be very careful," said Oliver canonical: https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-19T08:52:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:12.409Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: John Oliver Calls Out Authoritarianism on Last Week Tonight og:description: "America needs to be very careful." og:url: https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 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 Calls Out Authoritarianism on Last Week Tonight twitter:description: "America needs to be very careful." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Oliver Declares War on Authoritarianism on Last Week Tonight > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Brazil Elects Far-Right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro as Its Next President [Watch (HLS stream): Brazil Elects Far-Right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro as Its Next President](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/h4UhhmzA.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2018-10-29. Far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro won the presidency of Latin America’s largest nation Sunday as voters looked past warnings that the brash former army captain would erode democracy and embraced a chance for radical change after years of turmoil._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 19, 2018 8:52 AM UTC  John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video at the 31st annual Television Critics Association Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 8, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video at the 31st annual Television Critics Association Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 8, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 19, 2018 8:52 AM UTC For this year’s final episode of _Last Week Tonight_, John Oliver wanted to answer one of the burning questions of our time: “How good is [_A Star is Born_](http://time.com/5407607/a-star-is-born-remake/)?” (According to Oliver, “It’s the one movie that even Neil DeGrasse Tyson can’t ruin!”) But instead of dedicating the episode to talking about Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, Oliver said he felt obligated to discuss the troubling rise of authoritarianism around the world, including in [Venezuela](http://time.com/5275774/john-oliver-wilmer-valderrama-venezuela-last-week-tonight/), the [Philippines](http://time.com/5330071/philippines-mayors-political-assassination-duterte/), Turkey, Turkmenistan, China, Russia and Brazil. In Brazil, [newly-minted ](http://time.com/5418582/brazil-bolsonaro-election-first-round/)president [Jair Bolsonaro](http://time.com/5375731/jair-bolsonaro/) is now calling for unity despite previously expressing “an affection for torture and dictatorship.” Yet according to Oliver, it may be too late for Bolsonaro’s redemption. “Political platforms are a bit like Tinder profiles, once you advocate torture it doesn’t really matter what else you say, it’s all people are going to remember.” Oliver cited a Washington _Post_ article stating that “one-third of the world’s population lives in a backsliding democracy.” To help viewers identify an authoritarian regime, Oliver laid out three habits common amongst despots: 1\. Dismantling institutions, 2\. demonizing enemies, and 3\. displaying force on a grand scale, occasionally with musical numbers. After playing a clip from a Russian military parade, Oliver quipped, “That’s what musicals are like when you don’t allow gay people.” If you’re wondering who would want a leader like that, the answer turns out to be a lot of people, according to Oliver, including perhaps Americans. To prove his point, Oliver reminded viewers that President Donald Trump likes displays of force, including [military parades.](http://time.com/money/5158488/trump-military-parade-30-million/) He has also expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders around the world, and even [retweeted](http://time.com/4240330/donald-trump-benito-mussolini-quote/) Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (although Oliver notes there’s a good chance Trump thinks Mussolini is a moose eating spaghetti). The President has demonized his enemies, and, according to Oliver, is seemingly trying to dismantle institutions, including [the free press](http://time.com/5270968/donald-trump-reporters-credentials-media/). “The real worry here isn’t just that Trump sounds like an authoritarian, it’s that many people in this country like the way that sounds,” said Oliver. He urged people “to remain vigilant” because “the world is dabbling with something very dangerous right now and America needs to be very careful.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/"},"headline":"John Oliver Declares War on Authoritarianism on Last Week Tonight","datePublished":"2018-11-19T08:52:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:12.409Z","description":"\"The world is dabbling with something very dangerous right now and America needs to be very careful,\" said Oliver.","url":"https://time.com/5458295/john-oliver-declares-war-on-authoritarianism-on-last-week-tonight/","keywords":["Television","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.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. 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