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---
title: John Oliver Slams Mobile Home Industry on Last Week Tonight
description: The Good Place&#x27;s D&#x27;Arcy Carden made an appearance to help Oliver warn consumers about the risks of mobile home purchases.
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author: Melissa Locker
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article:published_time: 2019-04-08T09:30:42.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:08.097Z
og:title: John Oliver Slams Mobile Home Industry on Last Week Tonight
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twitter:title: John Oliver Slams Mobile Home Industry on Last Week Tonight
twitter:description: “Mobile homes were perfected by humans, but invented by snails”
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# John Oliver and Janet From _The Good Place_ Warn About Mobile Homes on _Last Week Tonight_

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PV6GoX9N.m3u8" -->
## Video: The Good Place, NBC

[Watch (HLS stream): The Good Place, NBC](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PV6GoX9N.m3u8) (2:20)

![The Good Place, NBC](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PV6GoX9N/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-08-23_


by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Apr 8, 2019 9:30 AM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Apr 8, 2019 9:30 AM UTC

“Mobile homes were perfected by humans, but invented by snails,” explained [John Oliver](http://time.com/4770205/john-oliver-fcc-net-neutrality/) on _Last Week Tonight_. And because 20 million Americans live in mobile homes he focused Sunday night’s episode on them.

Mobile homes cost significantly less than conventional homes, making them one of the last few [affordable housing options](http://time.com/longform/affordable-housing-mobile-homes/) around. “It can be hard to tell the difference between mobile homes and manufactured homes,” Oliver said. “Just like it’s hard to tell the difference between Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard. The difference is, like a mobile home, Bryce Dallas Howard is assembled off-site, then placed on wheels and moved to her permanent location.”

Also like Howard and Chastain, mobile homes are popular—so popular that they have become a target for private equity firms, who have started purchasing mobile home sites. As Oliver put it: “The homes of some the poorest people in America are being snapped up by some of the richest people in America.” Mobile home parks have earned a lot of money for the Carlyle Group and Warren Buffett, who owns Clayton mobile homes, which made $911 million pre-tax dollars last year. Those unlikely bedfellows have led to conflict in the form of rising rents and fees that have left already impoverished Americans with even fewer options.

For mobile homes owners, the “cars you live in” are reportedly an investment that always go down in value. They are an even worse investment if you don’t own the land that the mobile home is parked on, because “mobile homes are mobile about as much king crabs are actually kings,” said Oliver.


That lack of mobility of tenants is attractive to investors, because they quite literally have a captive audience. As Frank Rolfe, a mobile home investor, put it, buying a mobile home park is like owning “a Waffle House where everyone is chained to the booths,” which Oliver suggested was a good idea for Jordan Peele’s next horror movie.

To warn people about the risks of investing in a mobile home, Oliver and [_The Good Place’_](http://time.com/4419200/kristen-bell-comedy-the-good-place/)_s_ D’Arcy Carden made an honest ad for potential home buyers.

> [](https://twitter.com/LastWeekTonight/status/1115095687316766721)


## Transcript

[ MUSIC ] You, Eleanor [ UNKNOWN ] are dead. Cool. How did I die? Are you sure you want to hear? You were struck by a truck advertising a erectile dysfunction pill called engorgalate. Funny enough the first EMT to arrive was an ex boyfriend of yours. Okay I get it, thank you. [ MUSIC ] You're okay Eleanor you're in the good place. You are here because you got innocent people off death row. You are my soul mate. Cool, bring it in man. You'll stand by my side no matter what, right? Of course I will. I wasn't a lawyer. There's been a big mistake. I'm not supposed to be here. Wait, what? Are you sure this isn't you?

They got my name right but nothing else. Somebody royally forked up. Why can't I say fork? If you're trying to curse, you can't hear. That's bull shirt. Tell me one good thing that you did on Earth. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Do you have a second to talk about the environment? Do you have a second to eat my farts? I can't risk going to the bad place. Okay, well maybe it's not all that bad. We'll ask Janet. Hey Janet. Hi there. How can I help you? What is the bad place like? I can only play you a brief audio clip of what is happening there right now. Well it doesn't sound awesome. Hello, can I just say that I love your house.

It's just so tinsy. Hello, It's just been beautiful cartoon drop Cheers condescending ****. Okay. [ MUSIC ] 30 glasses of wine and no hang over, this place rules. These people might be good but are they really that much better than me? Did you fill your bra with. Shrimp? No. Yes. [ MUSIC ] So, who is right? Every religion gets about 5 % except for Doug Forcett. One night, he got high on mushrooms and got like 92 % correct. [ MUSIC ]

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