Comedian and talk show host John Oliver is joining a growing call for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to step down from his post on the nation’s highest court in playful fashion.
On the season 11 premiere of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver said the U.S. Supreme Court is reaching a “breaking point,” according to Deadline, and cited issues with ethics codes’ enforcement, lifetime appointments, and the limited number of justices, which can all be “fixed.”
He took time to call out Clarence Thomas and amplify the news coverage revealing the extent of lavish gifts and trips Thomas had received from wealthy friends and benefactors during his years seated on the federal bench.
“Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the court right now and he’s never really seemed to like the job,” Oliver said on the show. “He said, ‘It’s not worth doing for the grief.’ So what if he can keep the luxury perks he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief.”
That’s when Oliver makes a comical, yet pointed attempt at offering Thomas a gift: $1 million a year for the remainder of Thomas’ life on the condition that Thomas quit the court.
Oliver even presented a contract to show he was serious.
“If you watch our show, you know jokes aren’t really our thing. This is real,” Oliver said while holding up the contract. “A million dollars a year until you or I die. This offer is not forever. You have exactly 30 days from midnight tonight to make your resignation effective.”
To win Thomas over, Oliver also said he would throw in a brand-new, top-of-the-line luxury recreational vehicle that reportedly costs $2.4 million and includes a full bedroom with a king-size bed, one and a half bathrooms, a fireplace, four televisions, a washer/dryer, and a residential-size fridge.
Offering Thomas an RV was a sharp jab at a $267,000 recreational vehicle that was already gifted to Thomas by the justice’s longtime friend and health care magnate Anthony Wellers. A ProPublica report revealed that was just one of the dozens of luxury gifts Thomas received from conservative and ultrawealthy megadonors that he never officially disclosed. A Senate committee report revealed that Wellers forgave most of the loan payments Thomas was supposed to make on the RV, something Thomas’ attorney denied.
“So that’s the offer. A million dollars a year and a brand new condo on wheels and all you have to do in return is sign the contract and get the f*** off the Supreme Court,” Oliver stated.
Oliver uses his post on his weekly news satire program to spotlight pressing social, cultural, and systemic issues in the U.S. that often go unnoticed or are underreported.
The ProPublica report that exposed the numerous gifts to Thomas revived calls for him to step down due to the ethical questions they raised coupled with the lack of disclosure on Thomas’s part.
U.S. House lawmakers Ted Lieu (D-Ca.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Bill Pascrell (D-N.J), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) all called for his resignation in October 2023.
