John Oliver on finding humor in serious situations
One year in, HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" is enjoying a reputation for scathing wit with its satirical look at the news.
Fearless host John Oliver tackles serious issues, including Ferguson, Missouri, where protests erupted over the police shooting death of an unarmed black teen, Michael Brown.
Making humor of a serious situation is complicated and time-consuming, Oliver said.
"The Ferguson thing, we took a week to look at and we tried to build in the ideas of police militarization as well, so you're not just picking at a local scab. You're trying to show how this is a systemic problem," Oliver said. "The same is true in Baltimore. That anger did not come out of nowhere. That has been some anger, unjustified resentment that's been going on for a long time. So it's very easy to demonize, and it's also not accurate to demonize."
Recently, he also conducted a one-on-one interview with NSA leaker Edward Snowden.
"What he revealed is so incredibly interesting, and it's not being communicated very well. And so we wanted really to examine that," Oliver said.
The self-deprecating Oliver, who called himself "the unfortunate face of a lot of people's work," spoke highly of retiring "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart. Oliver was at the "Daily Show" with Stewart as a writer and correspondent from 2006 to 2013.
"[Stewart is] an incredible comedian, he's an incredible writer, he's an incredible man manager. I owe him everything," Oliver said. "I would not be in this country, let alone sitting here, if it wasn't for him. He taught me every important lesson I use."
Oliver also praised comedian Stephen Colbert, who left "The Colbert Report" and will become David Letterman's successor on the "Late Show," calling CBS' decision to hire Colbert a "phenomenal move."
"It's always a gamble, appointing anyone new, and with him, it is no gamble," Oliver said.
Calling him funny and smart, Oliver said "he will objectively be amazing."
Watch the video above to see Oliver's bromance with "CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose and what he thinks about the controversy surrounding "Daily Show" successor Trevor Noah.