John Oliver on Wednesday dropped by Late Night with Seth Meyers where he explained the running joke on Last Week Tonight in which he’s uncomfortably obsessed with Adam Driver.
Meyers brought the bit up as Driver finally appeared on the HBO show to faux berate Oliver over his creepy sexual obsession. Oliver explained that originally his “love” for the Star Wars actor was a one-liner from a staff writer. And when it fell flat, he was hooked.
“The water on the seed [of the joke] was feeling real resistance from the audience,” Oliver said, noting the first joke happened before the pandemic struck. “It felt like only 40 percent enjoyed it. So we did it as a callback a few weeks later and they weren’t really happy to have it back. So, at that point, it became something of an obsession in our staff.”
Oliver said the show finally contacted Driver to see if he might come on and play along. He agreed and appeared on the season finale where he told Oliver to knock it off.
Watch the Late Night interview and Driver on Last Week Tonight, below.
