As frequent viewers of Last Week Tonight on HBO will know, host John Oliver has developed a surprising affection for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker star Adam Driver. The UK comedian frequently makes thirty references to the Oscar nominee in elaborate and bizarre ways, all seemingly at random, with some highlights including: “Choke slam me to hell, you nasty shed,” “Step on my throat, Adam Driver, you rudely large man,” and “Break my fingers, you brooding mountain.” It all came to a head on this week’s episode of the series however as none other than Adam Driver made an appearance and chastised Oliver for making it weird in a hilarious exchange.
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Appearing via FaceTime, Driver called in and immediately said (H/T Nerdist): “What the f**k are you doing? This bit, this bit. This thing you’ve been doing that’s either sexual or violent…This strange, strange bit that for some reason you pulled me into. What is it? When you first started doing it, it was easy for me to shrug it off. But then it kept going on and on and on and on. Do you realize over this past year what you’ve asked me to do to you?
“You realize we’re strangers, right?” Driver continued, “I don’t know you, and now random people on the internet ‘stan’ us, claiming that you thirsting over me is a ‘mood.’ I’m sick of people stopping me on the street and asking me if I’m gonna punch a hole in you like a Marriage Story wall.”
As Oliver continued to try and make things weird with references to Driver’s shoulders, etc, the actor encouraged him to retire the bit and find something new for the rest of the year. Oliver wasn’t sold on it at first, until Driver leaned into the beat and ordered him, saying: “Explore the f**king space, you hollow-boned Mr. Bean cosplayer…..Look around you, you under-baked gingerbread boy.” Driver concluded his performance by added: “I hated this, goodbye.”
This recurring bit has now seemingly been retired after this episode, but it’s worth remembering how Oliver mused on it in a previous episode, saying: “Is he bothered by this continued sexualization? He seems like a fairly private guy who’s generally uncomfortable with attention, making what I’m doing possibly some form of harassment. He might actually have pretty good grounds to have me reprimanded legally. To which I say, do it. Slap a restraining order on me your forlorn block. Beg me to stop, you menacing obstacle.”
Consider yourself slapped and begged to, Oliver.
