If you have strong feelings about Paramount striking up a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, you aren't the only one. John Oliver shared his opinion on the matter during the latest episode of Last Week Tonight, and he didn't mince words while expressing his disapproval.
Obviously, Oliver's show airs on HBO, which will now be under the ownership of Paramount once the acquisition takes its final effect. But he's not particularly excited about that prospect: "It turns out we might be getting a new business daddy. Yeah, not great news. If I may quote anyone who’s ever accidentally sat on their Roku remote, 'Oh sh*t, I’m in Paramount now. How the f-ck do I get out of this?'"
It's an interesting position for Last Week with John Oliver and a number of other shows that are currently under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella to be in. While Paramount CEO David Ellison has stated after news of the acquisition was announced that Warner Bros. and its various entities would remain unchanged, including theatrical films and HBO, it's largely uncharted territory.
On Feb. 27, the entertainment industry and its consumers were left stunned when Netflix, which had been loudly pursuing Paramount and had been believed to inevitably take over ownership, bowed out of the race after being outbid by Paramount. Warner Bros. Discovery sold to Paramount for $110 billion, and rather than continuing to bid, Netflix walked away from the deal altogether.
The majority of consumers aren't particularly thrilled by two of the largest media companies merging, especially given some of the wide-ranging implications that could arise, and the fact that Oliver isn't on board shouldn't come as a shock. He has been outspoken about the tug-of-war going on for his new "business daddy," criticizing both sides of the bidding war.
During his latest episode, Oliver threw another pointed barb Paramount's way even after asking how to get himself out of the deal. "There’s no point in the police just stacking up thousand of hours of footage that nobody’s ever going to see, especially given that we all know, that’s Paramount+’s job," he said while discussing police body camera footage and recordings.
He quickly followed up that jab at the seemingly lacking Paramount+ viewership numbers with a self-aware remark about the possibility that his show could be canceled. "What are they going to do? Take us over and immediately cancel us? I’m genuinely asking." Considering the chaos (to say the very least) that happened with Stephen Colbert, you never know what could happen.
While it has been confirmed that HBO Max and Paramount+ will ultimately merge in the distant future, there's still a lot unknown about how the business merger could shift content strategies for either of the companies' varied entities. That's going to be quite the long-winded game of "wait and see," but all of our favorite late-night hosts will surely keep us informed with sharp hot takes.