News

People Love John Oliver's Rant On Paris Attacks

by Kylie Cheung

On Sunday evening during Last Week Tonight, John Oliver boldly called the Paris attackers "assholes," stating in his opening that "after the many necessary and appropriate moments of silence," he would like to offer viewers a moment of "premium cable profanity." Oliver didn't hold back in the slightest, piling on curse word after curse word, as he ripped the Paris attackers for "working in service of an ideology of pure assholery." Oliver then proceeded to celebrate France's lifestyle and culture, from its output of brilliant writers and thinkers, to its fine wine, madeleines, macarons, and especially its croque-en-bouche. While it might have just been a diatribe of words, people are loving Oliver's Paris attacks rant because the late-night host had the balls to pretty much say what they wanted to say.

While there was much more said on Sunday, here's just a small taste of what got viewers riled up.

First, as of now, we know this attack was carried out by gigantic fucking assholes — unconscionable flaming assholes — possibly working with other fucking assholes, definitely working in service of an ideology of pure assholery.

Second, and this goes almost without saying: Fuck these assholes! Fuck them, if I may say, sideways.

Viewers like Modern Family executive producer Danny Zuker considered the rant "perfection," while others tweeted that the comedian had put their thoughts to words. Most agreed Oliver had said exactly what needed to be said. Since Friday, most televised responses to the Paris attacks have been overwhelmingly grave and mournful, and appropriately so. But Oliver's rant added an arguably much-needed dose of anger to the dialogue, and clearly, it resonated with viewers disgusted and enraged by the violence.

That's not to say his message tonight resonated with everyone, but there's no denying it was unique and engaging. In his rant, Oliver made it clear that he stood with the people of Paris. It's also worth noting that Oliver has also stood by Syrian migrants since the start of the refugee crisis, an important point as some have blamed the refugee crisis for allowing terrorists to slip into the country. It'll take more than words to end terrorism, sure, but a good F-bomb can make a big difference.