I find it amusing that after ripping America as an idiocratic nightmare every Sunday night for the last six years on HBO, John Oliver chose to become a citizen of this country above all others. Oliver hinted that he worried his paperwork might mysteriously get tied up due to his nonstop lambasting of the leadership of the executive branch — “I do talk s***,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. But everything apparently turned out fine, and he took the oath of citizenship together with 159 other freshly minted Americans at the federal building in downtown Manhattan. He was given a tiny American flag as Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American” played, with a photo of Donald Trump overlooking the proceedings. The long-promised exodus of American celebrities due to fears of Trump has yet to transpire, but here’s one coming the other way.
Why take the oath under Old Glory? Oliver notes, correctly that presidents come and go but America endures. “Everyone in this room is making a commitment that long outlasts the current president. You’re vehemently endorsing the idea of America because the idea is still perfect. That’s what was so moving about the ceremony.”
Oh, and Oliver predicts Trump is going to be reelected. “It would be insane not to assume that,” he says, with a sigh. Season seven of his show starts February 16.