John Oliver’s Last ‘Daily Show’ as Host: 5 Best Moments

John Oliver has given up the big seat at The Daily Show, where he has been filling in for host Jon Stewart for the past eight weeks.

At the top of the show, he took a moment to recognize the killings of civilians in Egypt.

“For more on that developing story, you should probably watch the real news,” Oliver said, before launching into a roundup of the news stories that made his brief tenure as host so much fun.

There was the Voting Rights Act, the legalization of gay marriage, Paula Deen‘s N-word controversy and that time Daft Punk performed on his show instead of on The Colbert Report. (The last one was a joke.)

Below, we look at five other great moments from Oliver’s swan song.

STORY: John Oliver Kept Jon Stewart’s ‘Daily Show’ Ratings High While Keeping His Seat Warm

1. Salute to Anthony Weiner

No person made Oliver’s summer job better than Anthony Weiner, the New York mayoral candidate (and chronic sexter). Oliver showed a clip of Weiner from a recent interview with BuzzFeed, where the Democratic candidate — annoyed with a question — rebuffed the interviewer and insulted BuzzFeed as a place that shows pictures of cats “or whatever” — a comment getting boos from the crowd.

“I can’t tell if he wants to be mayor or a heel in the WWE,” said Oliver.

2. Diss from Samantha Bee

Reporting from Detroit, Samantha Bee spoke of an institution that had been brought to its knees. No, she wasn’t talking about the auto industry — she meant The Daily Show under Oliver’s tenure. While it took years to cripple Detroit, Oliver “destroyed The Daily Show in just three months.”

3. Even more criticism from Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams, standing in front of Paula Deen’s house, said she was there looking for a job, not because there was any news to report.

“Let me be clear. I’d much rather work for an old lady who’s admitted throwing the N-word around than spend six more minutes working for you.”

Q&A: Guest Host John Oliver Will Try Not to Destroy ‘The Daily Show’

4. Wyatt Cenac takes it further

Former correspondent Wyatt Cenac returned, only to unleash a brutal takedown of Oliver.

“I feel like a guy who got a ticket on the Titanic, but got on board and said, ‘You know, this doesn’t feel right. I’m getting on a plane,'” Cenac said. “You know when a skateboarder tries to do a trick over a wall and he can’t handle it? You know, he lands on his balls and he’s just lying there with his balls hurting — I’m the friend who comes over to see if he’s OK. I also make sure I get the whole thing on video.”

5. Rob Riggle comforts Oliver (sort of)

Rob Riggle tried it play it nice, complimenting Oliver on a job well done, while admitting he hadn’t seen a single episode his friend had hosted. Reporting from London, Riggle said he was there to see what Oliver’s countrymen thought of his hosting chops.

“I’ve got to be honest. They hate you,” Riggle admitted, before adding what nicknames the Brits had for him:

The union jackass. Buckingham Fallace. The [bleep] that ruined The Daily Show.

Stewart and The Daily Show return on Comedy Central with new episodes on Sept. 3.

E-Mail: Aaron.Couch@THR.com
Twitter.com: @AaronCouch