John Oliver Turns Comedy Relics Into Lifelines for Public Media
It looks like John Oliver has decided to wrap up the year in a way only he can—by taking the strangest, funniest, and most unforgettable props from Last Week Tonight and turning them into a massive charity auction. And honestly, the whole thing feels like peak John Oliver: silly on the surface, but pointed, timely, and surprisingly meaningful once you look closer.
The auction, fittingly labeled “John Oliver’s Junk,” was launched during the Season 12 finale, and it’s being used to support the Public Media Bridge Fund. This fund is offering emergency financial help to local public TV and radio stations that are now struggling after federal support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was eliminated. In other words, Oliver is using his platform—and all the bizarre objects the show has collected over the years—to literally keep public media alive.
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One of the standout items is a legitimately rare treasure: an original Bob Ross painting created on-air during Season 10 of The Joy of Painting . That alone started bidding at $25,000 and immediately set the tone for how wild and wide-ranging the auction is. After that, the catalog swings right back into classic Oliver absurdity. Russell Crowe’s leather jockstrap—the one he bought during Crowe’s “Art of Divorce” auction—has resurfaced. It was previously part of a gag involving a Blockbuster in Anchorage, which then mysteriously led to the funding of a koala chlamydia ward in Oliver’s honor. Yes, that happened.
Some pieces go even deeper into the show’s mythology. There’s Mrs. Cabbage Oliver , the silicone “wife” from the AI-generated art bit; a sculpted representation of Lyndon B. Johnson’s famously described anatomy; and those legendary gold sneakers Oliver once promised to wear if Sepp Blatter stepped down from FIFA—something Oliver was stunned to see actually happen.
There are also items with their own political life cycles, like the painting of Larry Kudlow’s ties, created by Kudlow’s wife and purchased during Trump’s first administration. Now it’s being repurposed as charity fuel. And for fans wanting a more personal moment, there’s even a package that includes VIP seats at a taping and the chance to appear in an over-the-shoulder shot next to Oliver in a future episode.
Wine lovers aren’t left out either. A limited reserve of Cabernet SauvignJohn —Oliver’s cheeky wine release—is up for grabs, along with gear from the Erie Moon Mammoths, the minor-league baseball team the show hilariously renamed this season.
The auction runs through November 24, and every dollar raised is funneled directly toward keeping local public media alive. Oliver closed the year not just by being funny, but by reminding viewers why public broadcasting matters—because local stations deliver emergency alerts, support multilingual programming, and keep investigative reporting alive in places where it would otherwise disappear.
With Season 12 wrapped and the show on break until early 2026, the auction acts as both a farewell and a call to action—delivered, of course, with jockstraps, giant sculptures, and a whole lot of heart.
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