In the closing commentary of the November 3, 2024, episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver said he would vote for Kamala Harris. He framed the choice as a necessary step toward change—not a substitute for holding elected officials accountable—and connected it to his experience as an immigrant who chose to live in the United States.
Why John Oliver said he would vote for Kamala Harris
Oliver’s endorsement came the day before the November 5 presidential election. He acknowledged that he did not agree with every part of Harris’s platform, and directed his remarks in part to viewers who were reluctant to support her.
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His case was about the role of voting in a larger effort to influence government. As Oliver put it, “Elections alone aren’t efficient for large-scale change, but they’re absolutely necessary for it to ever happen.” Voting, in his account, helps determine who will have the power to make decisions; it does not end the work of pressing for change.
Oliver also tied his decision to his own connection to the country. “Look, I love this country. I’m an immigrant. I chose to be here,” he said. He argued for maintaining a healthy adversarial relationship with elected officials—including those a voter supported—and continuing to challenge people in power after an election.
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Did John Oliver cry during the endorsement?
Contemporary reports described Oliver’s voice as breaking and characterized him as fighting back tears during the closing remarks. That description should not be mistaken for confirmation that he cried: the following day, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Oliver rejected the claim, saying, “I wasn’t crying! No, not even a little bit.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where the remarks appeared
The endorsement was part of the closing commentary in the November 3, 2024, episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, rather than a standalone interview. The next day’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was a separate conversation in which he addressed the description of his emotional reaction.
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Contemporaneous accounts of the closing commentary and his follow-up are available from The Independent and TheWrap. TheWrap also reported his clarification about crying after his Colbert appearance.
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- 12 Literary Adventure Films - 4-DVD Set ( Long John Silver / Robinson Crusoe / Oliver Twist(1933) /
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