You know it will be a busy week on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver when e-mail conversations reveal that even Fox News anchors were fed up with Donald Trump. On this week’s episode, host John Oliver took another swing at the infamously unreliable network, talked a little about drag performances and tackled TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — which often goes to former sports stars rather than to actual families in need.
To kick off the show, Oliver did the impossible and agreed with Rupert Murdoch. Through a set of e-mail exchanges revealed during the Dominion Voting lawsuit — which is still ongoing, it was revealed that Fox News anchors (Murdoch in particular) had a very different personal opinion about the 2020 elections’ outcome than they let on on air. Another shocking reveal were text messages from Tucker Carlson, in which he wrote he was “uncomfortable” with Trump’s lies about the election, and that he couldn’t wait to start ignoring the former President. Tucker Carlson. Texting that he hates Trump “passionately.” How’s that for a plot twist?
Drag Shows Ban Meets Hypocrisy
Speaking of which, Last Week Tonight also took the time to showcase yet another example of a politician who has a clear agenda against the LGBTQIA+ community, but then reveal a whole different side of themselves when they think nobody’s watching. As you may have heard, Tennessee passed a law to virtually ban drag queen performances in the state, suggesting that these events expose children to “sexually suggestive” content. The episode then singled out Randy McNally, a lieutenant governor who seems to have a completely different opinion when it comes to “sexually suggestive” content online on Instagram.
TANF: Welfare for Rich People in Need
That was already a lot to tackle, but the show still had the main segment to go through. TANF is one of those government welfare programs which, in theory, should provide aid for families who are close to or below the poverty line in America. Since a good number of those families are people of color, you can imagine how well TANF has been handled since its creation. Last Week Tonight unveiled a set of individuals who were on the receiving end of TANF without even qualifying for it, while families who desperately need it were ignored or were set up to lose the benefit almost as soon as they managed to get it.
Over the years, it was the concern of politicians that TANF could stimulate dependency from poor people, while ignoring the fact that this money would help them pay for the very basics of human existence – transportation, food, and utilities. But don’t worry! They made a song that motivates poor people to go to work (in several different musical genres), and everyone knows that’s how you really solve a problem.
You can watch the full main segment of the episode and listen to the work songs below:
