John Oliver Isn’t Excited About His New ‘Business Daddy’ at Paramount

Hostile Takeover John Oliver Isn’t Excited About His New ‘Business Daddy’ at Paramount The Last Week Tonight host joked about the company's successful bid for HBO parent company Warner Bros., cracking, "How the fuck do I get out of this?" By Jon Blistein Jon Blistein Contact Jon Blistein by Email View all posts by Jon Blistein March 2, 2026 John Oliver addressed the harsh reality that he might be getting a new “business daddy” soon with a bit about Paramount Skydance’s now-likely acquisition of HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight , Oliver briefly addressed the news that Netflix — long in pole position to acquire Warner Bros. — had decided not to match Paramount’s latest bid for the studio. While the deal is far from done, the sale isn’t expected to face much regulatory resistance in the U.S., as the Trump administration has not been subtle about its preference for Paramount over Netflix. “It turns out we might be getting a new business daddy,” Oliver quipped during his weekly news round-up, before calling the development “not great news.” He then cracked, “In fact, if I may quote anyone who’s ever accidentally sat on their Roku remove, ‘Oh shit, I’m in Paramount now, how the fuck do I get out of this?’” Oliver made another joke about his likely future parent company during his primary segment on police body cameras. Noting how the copious amount of footage recorded by cops, and meant to help hold them to account, often goes unwatched, Oliver joked, “There’s no point in the police just stacking up thousands of hours of footage that nobody’s ever going to see. Especially, given that we all know, that is Paramount+’s job. Hey, what are they gonna do? Take us over and immediately cancel us? I’m genuinely asking!” Trending Stories Kelly Osbourne Hits Back at 'Cruelty' Over Her Appearance at the Brit Awards