When John Oliver first shared his desire to be on a soap opera on Last Week Tonight, I never dreamed it would end with him going viral for his stint as “Z” on General Hospital. While the late-night HBO host is on hiatus from his usual show, he’s kept busy with a daytime television appearance and another coming up on the 2026 TV schedule.
General Hospital welcomed Oliver’s Z across three episodes, as he played the head of the World Security Bureau. From gunfights to a slap that went viral all over X, people just couldn’t get enough of Oliver and his latest stint in the world of soaps:
- Just give him the Emmy already! – @scott_barthel
- This is amazing. He’s so good! 😂 – @charmnsass
- He said he wanted someone to slap him. Hilarity! 😉 – @LarkinWarren
- Now we know why Daniel Day Lewis retired. He saw John Oliver on the come up and wanted no part of that smoke – @RustyCohle11
- John saying “That ain’t gonna happen” and his reaction to getting slapped need to become memes – @Xtitan92
The slap is definitely already a meme, but in a positive way, unlike when Will Smith let loose on Chris Rock. I think his stint on Last Week Tonight might’ve led people to forget that John Oliver is a competent actor who has done lots of great movies and TV shows.
While some will be streaming new episodes on Last Week Tonight with an HBO Max subscription when the show returns in late July, others can look ahead to the next soap opera appearance. Oliver revealed before his break that he’ll appear on Days of Our Lives on August 11th, 12th, and 14th.
The gauntlet is officially thrown down, and the beloved soap opera will have its work cut out for it to top General Hospital. The show managed to stave off cancellation nearly a decade ago, so I’m sure the writing team isn’t feeling the pressure.
After all, they’re about to work with the guy who was almost Ted Lasso, who made waves with his guest spot on a soap opera in a way that few other celebrities and stars have. I have to say, I do love the fact that this whole endeavor worked out for John Oliver in the best possible way. The only downside is the next stunt he tries to pull for Last Week Tonight is going to have to be bigger, and I’m not sure he’s going to be able to top this one.
Last Week Tonight returns with new episodes on Sunday, July 26th. In the meantime, there’s plenty of other stuff to enjoy on HBO, and always Daytime soaps to throw on.