This video is a segment from John Oliver's show, Last Week Tonight, presented as a final address to the audience before a multi-month hiatus. After a brief recap of the season's comedic bits, Oliver revisits his previous segments criticizing the production of a new Air Bud movie. He details the subsequent interactions with Airbud Entertainment and its CEO, Robert Vince, who offered him a human role in the film. The core of the segment is the revelation that the production was not only initiated without a suitable dog actor but also without secured funding, leading to a public crowdfunding campaign. The situation is revealed to be even more absurd when Oliver notes that the production announced it had wrapped filming just nine days after offering him a part. Oliver concludes by formally withdrawing his interest and sarcastically stating his new, comically basic, requirements for any future roles in animal-sports films.
John Oliver's Bizarre Saga with the 'Air Bud' Reboot
0:00:07 Season Recap & Hiatus: The video begins with John Oliver announcing the show is on a break for several months and briefly recaps memorable segments from the season, including rebranding a baseball team and creating a replica of LBJ's testicles.
0:01:22 The 'Air Bud' Premise: Oliver revisits his primary criticism of the upcoming Air Bud reboot: the company announced production before securing a dog that could actually play basketball, a premise he finds absurd.
0:02:52 The Official Response: In response to his critique, Airbud Entertainment's CEO, Robert Vince, contacted Oliver. He offered Oliver a human role in the movie via social media and a formal letter.
0:05:05 Questioning the CEO's Competence: Oliver mocks the CEO's video message for its awkwardness and a jarring edit, questioning whether Vince has any genuine interest in dogs, basketball, or even filmmaking itself.
0:06:36 The Funding Problem: Oliver reveals that in addition to lacking a lead actor, the production also had no money. They launched a crowdfunding campaign after production had already begun. As far as I can tell, the entire project was started with no key elements in place.
0:08:35 An Abrupt Conclusion: The situation culminates when the company posts on social media that filming has wrapped, a mere nine days after offering Oliver a role. This renders the offer either disingenuous or a product of total chaos.
0:09:17 Oliver's New Audition Rules: He formally withdraws his interest in the film and states his three new, extremely basic conditions for accepting a role in any animal sports movie: the production must have (1) the animal, (2) the funding, and (3) not have already finished filming.
0:10:30 Sign-off and Future Plans: Oliver thanks his audience for the year and announces the show will return next February, teasing a future segment on armadillo-transmitted leprosy.