Bobby Burack
Videos by OutKick
The Comcast-owned British TV network Sky edited out John Oliver’s “jokes” about Queen Elizabeth while airing his program on Sunday.
Here’s how Oliver opened his show on HBO in the United States:
“We need to start with the UK, which is clearly still reeling from the shocking death of a 96-year-old woman from natural causes. It is a big moment which for some reason absolutely everyone felt that they had to weigh in on, from Crazy Frog, which tweeted out ‘RIP the Queen’ [and a] candle emoji – a tweet that’s impossible to read without mentally adding [Crazy Frog’s dance music] – to Dominos UK, which posted, ‘Everyone at Domino’s joins the nation and the world in mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family.’
“Which I guess is nice although if the world is mourning they should maybe tell the US Domino’s account whose most recent tweet as of this taping is ‘if ur reading this it means u need pizza like to confirm Get your fucking house in order Domino’s! A LADY IS DEAD.”
“The Queen’s death is sadly not the only traumatic event that Britain has had to deal with this week because on Tuesday, Liz Truss, basically Margaret Thatcher if she were high on glue, became its new Prime Minister.”
His jokes are not exactly funny or clever, but they are jokes nonetheless. And that’s where Comcast pulled the plug.
On the Sky airing, the broadcast begins with Oliver’s jab at the Chilean President and then cuts to the point in which he makes fun of Truss. Comcast cut the opening jokes about Elizabeth on both the live airing and the streaming service Sky NOW, which offers the program on-demand.
While Oliver’s creativity continues to wane, he does hosts a satire show and thus attempts to inject humor into the biggest current events in the world.
He’s not a professor wishing the Queen an “excruciating” death or spreading hate, like other media pundits.
Oliver’s British viewers, as shallow as some may be, are able to take a joke. A mention of Dominos with the Queen shall not scar them.
And they are rightfully annoyed with the edit:
Don't censor my @LastWeekTonight. I am British, I am a monarchist and I CAN TAKE A JOKE!!! @SkyUK If @iamjohnoliver wants to have an intelligent, jovial, factual opinion about our queen I wanna hear it. FFS! The coverage and forced mourning here is getting real out of hand. 🤐😤
— Lindsay Sargeant (@SargeantLc) September 13, 2022
@LastWeekTonight .@iamjohnoliver.
Sky cut out your joke about the queen last night. Cowards. Any chance you can put it up on here? They teased us with her picture and and truly amateurish cut.— Patrick Barker (@Patbarker) September 13, 2022
For at least today, we have John Oliver’s back. We support his right to attempt satire. We hope he repays the favor by actually making funny jokes again.
“Margaret Thatcher if she were high on glue,” that’s the best you could come up with?
