John Oliver Shares His Thoughts on News Media and Its Relationship with Paramount
John Oliver tackled a significant issue on his latest episode of Last Week Tonight, focusing on Hungary’s alarming shift towards far-right populism, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his controversial legal maneuvers.
Oliver highlighted how Orbán and his affluent allies have systematically acquired numerous media outlets, contributing to a marked decline in critical coverage of the government. He subtly criticized Paramount while illustrating the impact of media consolidation under Orbán’s regime.
“Wow. A far-right leader’s friends and allies just buying up all the media outlets in the country and turning them into conservative sycophants — can you imagine that? I sure can’t,” Oliver remarked sarcastically as an image of the David Ellison-owned corporation appeared on screen. “That’s definitely not something I’ve had recurring nightmares about for the past month!”
Prominent figures in the American right, including Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and Ben Shapiro, have openly supported Orbán, despite Hungary’s evident economic and sociopolitical decline. Hungary is set to hold elections on April 12.
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“Orbán’s stranglehold on power should be alarming for us here in the states,” Oliver warned. “He has clearly been an inspiration to American conservatives, to the point that JD Vance is apparently planning to visit Hungary to show support for Orbán ahead of their election. And that is because, for them, Orbán is not a cautionary tale; he’s a blueprint.”
Oliver urged vigilance in recognizing potential warning signs of a similar trajectory in the U.S. “We are lucky to have the checks and balances that we do, but we would do well to watch for warning signs of what happened to Hungary starting to happen here, like — small things, I don’t know — stacking the courts, or shameless gerrymandering, or fear-mongering about immigrants, or presidential allies buying up the media. Anything you might spot like that!”
In related news, Warner Bros. Discovery has scheduled a special meeting of shareholders for April 23 to vote on the sale of Paramount Skydance, following Paramount’s recent acquisition of Skydance last year, marking a significant step in the merger process.
