John Oliver on 'Last Week Tonight.' HBO Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment HBO Last Week Tonight host John Oliver is not a big a fan of the non-stop barrage of media mergers, but he and his team have no plans to change what they are doing, regardless of whether Netflix or Paramount ends up with the prize. "I think mergers are generally bad. I think you're always hoping for the least bad option," Oliver told former Daily Show host Trevor Noah on his podcast Thursday (Noah will host the Grammy Awards for Paramount next month). "I think that the key thing for us is to act with enough aggression or confidence... I will act assuming nothing is going to happen. We're not going to change, right?" Related Stories TV Netflix Renews 'Culinary Class Wars' for Season 3 But Shakes Up Competition Format Movies 'The Rip' Review: Genre Pro Joe Carnahan Keeps Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Gritty Netflix Cop Thriller in Confident Hands "We've been behaving the way we've been behaving for long enough that you can't really reason with us," he continued. "So there's no point doing that." Oliver noted that HBO has been sold twice already since he started hosting his show, once in Time Warner's sale to AT&T, and again in WarnerMedia's spinout into Warner Bros. Discovery. "You know, these things come with cuts," Oliver said. And he expressed skepticism about the state of media generally, questioning whether all of the deals are really warranted. "There are going to be question marks on all of this, right? Because it's very hard to justify this legally," Oliver said. "Now, whether that makes it impossible for it to happen, that's an open question." Netflix of course has a signed deal for Warner Bros., but Paramount is threatening a hostile bid. Both could face tough regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe, though Paramount has argued that it has an easier path. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Netflix Netflix Renews 'Culinary Class Wars' for Season 3 But Shakes Up Competition Format Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke Is Over the Fantasy Genre Following 'Game of Thrones' versant E! Is Developing a Show Where "Canceled" Celebs Live Together in a House and Work on "Redemption" Dexter: Resurrection 'Dexter: Resurrection' Moves to Manhattan Full-Time as Sunset Pier 94 Studios' First Major Tenant Live Feed Streaming Ratings: 'Fallout' Falls Off With Change From Binge to Weekly Release for Season 2 Seth Rogen Why Pamela Anderson Says She Felt "Weird" and "Yucky" Sitting Near Seth Rogen at Golden Globes Netflix Netflix Renews 'Culinary Class Wars' for Season 3 But Shakes Up Competition Format Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke Is Over the Fantasy Genre Following 'Game of Thrones' versant E! Is Developing a Show Where "Canceled" Celebs Live Together in a House and Work on "Redemption" Dexter: Resurrection 'Dexter: Resurrection' Moves to Manhattan Full-Time as Sunset Pier 94 Studios' First Major Tenant Live Feed Streaming Ratings: 'Fallout' Falls Off With Change From Binge to Weekly Release for Season 2 Seth Rogen Why Pamela Anderson Says She Felt "Weird" and "Yucky" Sitting Near Seth Rogen at Golden Globes