John Oliver: Jay Leno called Monica Lewinsky a "slut," yet he wants civility to return to late-night

Newsweek

In a Last Week Tonight segment on public shaming, Oliver said Leno "can go f*ck himself" over his recent comments on Today lamenting the current state of late-night. "It was a little easier," Leno told Today last Wednesday. "Now it’s all very serious. I’d just like to see a little civility come back to it.” Oliver admitted he used to mock Monica Lewinsky, but he pointed out that no late-night host was more uncivil to her than Leno. "Many comedians have since expressed regret about things they have said (about Lewinsky), although one who hasn’t—and was among the most relentless—was Jay Leno." Oliver then showed a barrage of clips of Leno ruthlessly shaming Lewinsky. "Those jokes have not dated well in any sense of the word," said Oliver. "And they are pretty rough, especially coming from a guy who just this week complained about late night TV saying that he would like to see ‘a bit of civility come back.' You know, like that time he did a bit with a fake book about Lewinsky titled 'The Slut in the Hat.' And if that’s what he means by civility, may I offer my new book: 'Oh, the Places You Can Go F*ck Yourself, Jay Leno!'” Oliver ended the segment by airing a pre-taped extended interview with Lewinsky.