“Breaking the news … on a weekly basis”: trolling as rhetorical style on<i>Last Week Tonight</i>

Davisson, Amber; Donovan, Mackenzie

doi:10.1080/15295036.2019.1649706

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…In the end, Oliver raises $20,000 for Feeding America, an organization the show has been supporting since the start of the pandemic. Along the way, he both trolls Pringles by commenting about their quality as a “crisp” snack (rather than a chip) and shares exaggerated, satirical, and marginally vulgar content that would only be permissible on HBO (Davisson & Donovan, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most prevalent in the field of cultural studies (Hall, 1992; Kellner, 2001), thematic textual analysis allows researchers to interpret the significance and impact of a particular historical event or cultural moment, going beyond the actual text itself to infer deeper meaning (Jiang, 2013; Poniatowski & Hardin, 2012). Building upon recent political comedy and satire scholarship that has taken a more qualitative and thematic approach (Becker, 2021; Becker, 2022c; Davisson & Donovan, 2019; Michaud Wild, 2019), the relevant content from Seasons 7 and 8 was reviewed multiple times via HBO, YouTube, and in attendant press coverage to develop and map out an organizing framework.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oliver manages to spotlight issues and showcase the expertise of his research and writing staff, all the while intermixing language and content that would not be as frequently permissible on broadcast television (Becker, 2022b; Harvey, 2017). Oliver is simultaneously an antagonist, an investigative reporter, and a comic recruiter, motivating viewers to participate in troll-like activism or satiric advocacy with regular direct calls to action (Brewer et al, 2018; Davisson & Donovan, 2019; Waisanen, 2018).…”

Section: John Oliver: the Comic Recruitermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A well-known champion of LGBT rights, Oliver engaged in activism that simultaneously attacked former Vice President Mike Pence for his support of conversion therapy and raised money for pro-LGBT organizations. Mocking Charlotte Pence’s picture book in March 2018, Oliver and his staff released their own “better version of the bunny book” (Davisson & Donovan, 2019). The Oliver parody book engaged in metanoic advocacy by prominently displaying and celebrating the marriage of Marlon Bundo to another male bunny named Wesley (Waisanen & Becker, 2020).…”

Section: John Oliver: the Comic Recruitermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Oliver book quickly outsold the original Pence text, landing at the top of the Amazon best-seller list. The accompanying audiobook featured celebrity readers including Jim Parsons, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, and RuPaul (Davisson & Donovan, 2019). Other celebrities promoted the book including Ellen DeGeneres, donating $10,000 in Oliver’s name to the Trevor Project, while Max Mutchnik, the creator of Will and Grace , donated a copy of the Oliver book to every elementary school in Indiana as an act of protest against Pence (Waisanen & Becker, 2020).…”

Section: John Oliver: the Comic Recruitermentioning

confidence: 99%

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John Oliver as the Pandemic Fundraiser? Championing Causes and Political Participation Through Satirical Television

Becker

2022

Social Media + Society

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Thematic textual analysis was used to evaluate the calls for financial participation and donations that aired during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic across 55 episodes of Seasons 7 and 8 of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight on HBO (February 2020–November 2021). The findings suggest that Oliver offers a new way for viewers to engage in low-cost political activism that capitalizes on their pre-existing civic skills and resources. With few barriers to participation, Oliver’s fundraising efforts and calls for donations among individuals, corporations, and even on behalf of the show itself allow for engagement across a range of domestic and international political issues, energizing not only his fan base but also simultaneously reasserting his credibility as a trusted information source who is adept at spotlighting issues central to political life and public culture. While calling for participation and protest is part of Oliver’s comic brand, he is also encouraging genuine financial engagement within the public sphere.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%