John Oliver Calls Out “Soon-To-Be Business Daddy” David Ellison & Throws Stephen Colbert Under The Bus

John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, took a dig at David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, during a recent episode. Oliver joked that Ellison has a "literal business daddy," referring to his billionaire father Larry Ellison. This comment was made in the context of discussing UnitedHealthcare and its denial of insurance claims.

Oliver's show, Last Week Tonight, airs on HBO, which may soon be owned by Ellison's company if the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger goes through. According to Deadline, Oliver made a joke about Ellison being a "soon-to-be business daddy." TheWrap reports that Oliver also threw Stephen Colbert under the bus, saying he would never make fun of Ellison for having a wealthy parent, unlike Colbert who was critical of his parent company Paramount before his dismissal.

The episode focused on healthcare struggles, including a story of a little girl's parents who had to pay $95,000 out of pocket for their child's treatment. Oliver highlighted the issue of access to healthcare and joked about the system that allows some people to get ahead due to their wealthy parents. Mashable notes that Larry Ellison personally pledged $40 billion to support Paramount's bid.

Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, TheWrap, Mashable — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.