Late night host John Oliver used Sunday’s installment of his weekly HBO show to condemn the terrorist attacks in Paris, making use of the premium network’s lax restrictions to blast the culprits as “gigantic f**king a**holes.”
“We begin with a few words about France, which on Friday suffered the deadliest attack on its soil since World War II,” the host started Sunday evening’s broadcast of “Last Week Tonight.” “It’s hardly been 48 hours, and much is still unknown, but there are a few things we can say for certain. And this is when it actually helps to be on HBO, where those things can we said without restraint, because after the many necessary and appropriate moments of silence, I’d like to offer you a moment of premium cable profanity.”
“So here is where things stand: As of now we know this attack was carried out by gigantic f**king a**holes. Unconscionable flaming a**holes. Possibly working with other f**king assholes. Definitely working in service of an ideology of pure a**holery,” Mr. Oliver began the episode.
“Second, and this goes almost without saying: F**k these a**holes. F**k them, if I may say, sideways”
The comedian refrained from discussing the attacks during the rest of Sunday’s 30-minute program, except for a warning he issued to the individuals responsible for the rampages.
Lastly, Mr. Oliver added, “…it is important to remember, nothing about what these a**holes are trying to do is going to work. France is going to endure and I’ll tell you why. If you are in a war of culture and lifestyle with France, good f**king luck.”
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“Go ahead, bring your bankrupt ideology. They’ll bring Jean-Paul Sartre, Edith Piaf, fine wine, Gauloise cigarettes, Camus, Camembert, madeleines, macaroons, and the f**king croquembouche. You just brought a philosophy of rigorous self-abnegation to a pastry fight, my friend. You are f**ked.”
Friday evening’s attacks in Paris claimed more than 130 lives and injured scores of others near any of the half-dozen sites unleashed upon by terrorists last week. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility, and France and the United States continued airstrikes against the extremists throughout the weekend.
As of Sunday evening, however, Mr. Oliver’s retort has been arguably the least reserved with respect to the response from late night television programs. Barely 24 hours after the attacks, “Saturday Night Live” began this weekend’s episode with a solemn monologue in English and French, while Stephen Colbert fought back tears while delivering the news during Friday night’s taping of “The Late Show.”
Fellow HBO host Bill Maher, meanwhile, began his own panel show that evening by asking his guests, “Why do they hate us?”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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