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John Oliver Unleashes "Premium Cable Profanity" Response To Paris Attacks


By

John Del Signore

Published Nov 16, 2015

Modified Nov 16, 2015


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By

John Del Signore

Published Nov 16, 2015

Modified Nov 16, 2015


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John Oliver took full advantage of the linguistic freedoms afforded by HBO to unload an incredulous, obscenity-filled rant against the perpetrators of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night. Kicking off his Sunday broadcast of "Last Week Tonight," Oliver warned viewers that their ears were about to be scorched by a "moment of premium cable profanity," and he wasn't kidding:

"Fuck these assholes, fuck them—if I may say—sideways," Oliver declared with signature British decorum.

The funniest part of the brief tirade came toward the end, when Oliver confidently argued that "nothing about what these assholes are trying to do is going to work. France is going to endure, and I'll tell you why. If you're in a war of culture and lifestyle with France, good fucking luck. Because, go ahead, bring your bankrupt ideology. They'll bring Jean-Paul Sartre, Edith Piaf, fine wine, Gauloises cigarettes, Camus, Camembert, madeleines, macarons, Marcel Proust, and the fucking croquembouche!"

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paris attacks

paris terror attacks


John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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