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John Oliver delivered one of his most pointed critiques in recent memory on the October 12th, 2025 episode of Last Week Tonight, dedicating his entire thirty-minute main segment to examining Bari Weiss and her controversial appointment as editor-in-chief of CBS News. The episode, which aired on HBO and quickly circulated across social media platforms, represented Oliver's most direct confrontation with what he called the "Bari Weissification of media."

Oliver pulled no punches in his assessment, methodically dissecting Weiss's editorial history at The Free Press, her Substack publication that has become one of the platform's largest. He highlighted multiple stories that either contained factual errors or were later debunked by the subjects themselves. One particularly striking example involved a story about a transgender youth clinic where a family went on local news to refute claims made in a Free Press article, with the mother stating flatly that the characterization of their daughter's case was "not just not true, but it's a lie."

The comedian emphasized that Weiss has never run a television network, lacks experience directing television coverage, and according to one 60 Minutes producer Oliver cited, isn't even a reporter. He noted she came up through opinion pages rather than traditional news reporting. Oliver defended his decision to dedicate an entire show to the topic by pointing out the difference between opinion outlets like his own show and actual news organizations like CBS News, home to legendary journalists Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow.

Adding another layer to the story, Oliver referenced the broader media consolidation concerns, noting that David Ellison's Paramount Skydance Corporation now owns CBS and is exploring a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO itself. The Independent reported that this potential acquisition has sparked Democratic-led investigations into possible anti-bribery violations related to the Paramount merger. Oliver joked about the awkward position this puts him in, quipping that if Ellison likes uncomfortable conversations, maybe he'll appreciate this critique.

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