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The Worst Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Every episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver!

A half-hour satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.

Genres:TalkComedyNews

Network:HBO

Lowest Rated Episodes Summary

The worst episode of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" is "Episode 220: Hair", rated 6.5/10 from 344 user votes. It was directed by Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner and written by John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali. "Episode 220: Hair" aired on 5/9/2021 and is rated 0.8 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "Episode 218: Bankruptcy".

6.5/10 344 votes
#1 - Episode 220: Hair
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 5/9/2021
John Oliver discusses the importance of black hair, the ways it can be a target of discrimination, and some ideas to address that.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.3/10 263 votes
#2 - Episode 218: Bankruptcy
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 4/18/2021
John Oliver details why people file for bankruptcy, how needlessly difficult the process can be, and the ways we can better serve people struggling with debt.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.3/10 224 votes
#3 - Episode 225: PACE
Season 8 Episode 16 - Aired 6/20/2021
John Oliver explains how PACE, a program meant to pay for environmentally-friendly home renovations, is fundamentally flawed and can put people at risk of losing their homes. Plus, why hosting summer Olympics in Tokyo this year is a bad idea and why dog shows are weird.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.3/10 274 votes
#4 - October 16, 2022: Transgender Rights II
Season 9 Episode 26 - Aired 10/16/2022
John Oliver discusses the latest round of attacks on transgender rights, what’s at stake, and how kids are schooling the ignorant adults on this topic. Plus, why the Crimean Bridge is having a bad time these days.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A

7.4/10 274 votes
#5 - Prisons & Jails
Season 7 Episode 16 - Aired 6/21/2020
In the latest episode on coronavirus John talks about US prisons and jails. These confined spaces have frightening number of COVID-19 infections. And there has been insufficient initiatives to address the matter. Consequently, in some cases inmates are taking matters in their own hand to raise concern about situation behind bars.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/10 312 votes
#6 - Episode 221: Stand Your Ground
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 5/16/2021
Main Story: John Oliver takes a look at why “stand your ground” laws were created, who they protect, and, crucially, who they don’t. Plus, a look at the past week’s events in Israel.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.4/10 258 votes
#7 - Episode 223: Asian Americans
Season 8 Episode 14 - Aired 6/6/2021
John Oliver discusses the large and diverse group of people who fall under the term "Asian American", the history of the model minority stereotype, and why our conversations on the subject need to be better-informed.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.4/10 226 votes
#8 - April 21, 2024: UFOs
Season 11 Episode 9 - Aired 4/21/2024
John Oliver explains why we need honest inquiry into UFO sightings, covers the week's protests in the US over the war in Gaza, and recaps Adeel Mangi's confirmation hearing.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A

7.4/10 136 votes
#9 - August 18, 2024: Hospice Care
Season 11 Episode 21 - Aired 8/18/2024
John Oliver discusses hospice scams, the Trump campaign's attempt to appear "not weird," and the Republican primary candidates who are making the party seem stranger and stranger.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 265 votes
#10 - Juries
Season 7 Episode 21 - Aired 8/16/2020
John Oliver takes a look at why people of color are routinely excluded from becoming jurors, who their absence impacts, and what we can do to create a fairer system.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 281 votes
#11 - Episode 213: Unemployment
Season 8 Episode 4 - Aired 3/7/2021
Main story: The many obstacles that impede access to unemployment benefits; plus, Fox News freaks out over Dr. Seuss.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.5/10 265 votes
#12 - Episode 217: Long-Term Care
Season 8 Episode 8 - Aired 4/11/2021
Main story: Why nursing homes and assisted living facilities need fixing; plus, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program; Matt Gaetz and Venmo; R.I.P. Yahoo! Answers.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali

7.5/10 226 votes
#13 - Episode 224: Prison Heat
Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 6/13/2021
John Oliver explains how the failure to air-condition prisons can cause both physical and mental health issues for incarcerated people, and why the solution is simpler than you might think. Plus, some truly unique local car dealership ads.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali
7.5/10 218 votes
#14 - August 7, 2022: Monkeypox
Season 9 Episode 19 - Aired 8/7/2022
John Oliver discusses the recent monkeypox outbreak in the U.S., how the authorities have fumbled the response to it, and some aspirations for this coming autumn. Plus, Walter from Butler, Indiana, likes to share stuff, perhaps a little too much.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 237 votes
#15 - September 11, 2022: Law & Order
Season 9 Episode 22 - Aired 9/11/2022
John Oliver discusses the wildly popular television franchise, what it’s been teaching us about law enforcement, and how it differs from the reality. Plus, some important developments in British politics.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 226 votes
#16 - March 12, 2023: TANF
Season 10 Episode 4 - Aired 3/12/2023
John Oliver discusses TANF - a federal program designed to help families with little to no income – who’s currently receiving these vital funds, who should be receiving them, and what it all has to do with Brett Favre. Plus, a look at Tennessee’s new law about drag performances and the lieutenant governor who supports the law.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Seena Vali, Ryan Ken, Taylor Kay Phillips, Sofía Manfredi, Tim Carvell

7.5/10 226 votes
#17 - April 30, 2023: Biden and the Border
Season 10 Episode 10 - Aired 4/30/2023
A look at the things Biden has promised to fix about our southern border, what he has and hasn’t done, and a magnificent pile of gators.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Seena Vali, Ryan Ken, Taylor Kay Phillips, Sofía Manfredi, Tim Carvell
7.5/10 212 votes
#18 - October 1, 2023: Prison Health Care
Season 10 Episode 11 - Aired 10/1/2023
John Oliver discusses the health care offered in prisons; plus, a look at the past five months, from the WGA strike to Lauren Boebert.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Seena Vali, Ryan Ken, Taylor Kay Phillips, Sofía Manfredi, Tim Carvell
7.6/10 300 votes
#19 - Venezuela
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 5/13/2018
John Oliver discusses the devastating economic crisis in Venezuela and enlists the help of a large bird who bears a striking resemblance to Wilmer Valderrama.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 248 votes
#20 - State Attorneys General
Season 5 Episode 27 - Aired 10/28/2018
State AGs have become major partisan players in national politics, so the races to elect them are worth your attention.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A

7.6/10 285 votes
#21 - United States Postal Service
Season 7 Episode 11 - Aired 5/10/2020
John discusses the United States Postal Service which is in dire need of economic assistance from the government. He examines some of the essential services of the USPS and why it is facing such financial trouble due to a 2006 law requiring it to pre-pay health care benefits on a fifty year schedule while at the same time putting price caps on services and products.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 272 votes
#22 - Coronavirus IX: Evictions
Season 7 Episode 17 - Aired 6/28/2020
Like coronavirus and unemployment issues evictions is something that USA could prepared for. While people are choosing between rent and food due to the pandemic, John Oliver presented the flaws of current system and flawed solution. He urges federal government to come with a proper solution for the affected soon. Also, some people refuse to wear masks, and Papa John embraces TikTok.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 234 votes
#23 - Asylum
Season 7 Episode 27 - Aired 10/25/2020
John Oliver talks about the situation of asylum seekers in USA under Trump administration. He points out the three major changes in policy (migrant protection protocols, safe third country agreements and Title 42) which are deciding the future of asylum seekers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 329 votes
#24 - Episode 210: The Next Pandemic
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 2/14/2021
Main story: What could cause the next pandemic, what we can do to avoid it, and why you shouldn’t kiss pigs; plus, Impeachment Part 2.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali

7.6/10 272 votes
#25 - Episode 216: The National Debt
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 4/4/2021
Main story: How national debt works and why it might be more helpful than you'd think; plus, Giuliani freaks over Lil Nas X; Amazon's anti-union tactics; Peeps and Pepsi form an unholy alliance.
Director: Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
Writer: John Oliver, Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali