HBO’s John Oliver rehashed many of the old and familiar arguments in defense of public broadcasting on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, but because Oliver views himself as a man of action, he announced an auction to help save public media because otherwise “people would die.” Things Oliver put up for sale included, but were not limited to, actor Russell Crowe’s jockstrap, his cabbage wife, and a giant replica of President Lyndon Johnson’s man parts. During his lament at public media’s defunding, Oliver lamented that it has been hit with accusations of liberal bias. In a clip package, former Speaker Newt Gingrich was shown in 1995 questioning, “Why is there this small elite group at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that gets to spend money they didn't earn? What right do they have to dole out your money?” After the montage, Oliver tried to rebut Gingrich by retorting, “First, 'What right do they have to spend money they didn't earn?' Applies to literally any use of taxpayer money, and also, congratulations to Newt and Callista Gingrich on their documentary, Journey to America, released this year, on—guess what? PBS.”     It should be noted that Journey to America is about “inspiring immigrant stories,” such as that of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. It is not a puff piece about the Gingriches. A bit later, Oliver added another reason to mourn the demise of public media, “It can also be crucial during an emergency like a hurricane. Remember that station where one guy's the only full-time news employee? If it goes away, a lot goes with it.” In a clip of July 19’s CBS Evening News, correspondent Karen Hua claimed that “About 19 percent of Louisiana lives in poverty, and 15 percent don't have internet access, according to the U.S. Census.” Similarly, KDAQ’s Jeff Ferrell claimed that public media is some people’s only option, “You can't afford satellite TV. You can't buy cable. And they're alone. And so it is a lifeline. And what's great about this, is that they feel connected. They stay connected to the world.” He also claimed without it, Louisianans would die, “Public radio saves lives. The emergency broadcast system. Without it, people would die." Oliver echoed the idea, " Right. Without their emergency broadcast system, people would die. If you take one thing away from this piece, it really should be that.” Ferrell and Oliver are trying to portray 2025 as if it were 1955. Even poor households have access to TV, so the idea that poor people cannot afford basic satellite coverage is ridiculous. Nevertheless, Oliver thought that public media was such a noble cause that he later proclaimed that, “I am proud to announce Last Week Tonight’s first-ever auction in aid of public media. This is real. It will be running through November 24th, and you can bid at the website johnoliversjunk.com, which was inexplicably available.”     Oliver then rattled off several possible items, including “Russell Crowe's jockstrap from Cinderella Man when he held a, quote, ‘Art of divorce auction.’ He then used the proceeds to fund a koala chlamydia ward in Australia in my name. Well, I'm now happy to say this life-saving jockstrap can be yours. He also flashed back to “season 9, you may remember that I married a cabbage in a beautiful non-denominational ceremony officiated by Steve Buscemi. Well, and there's no good way to say this, my cabbage wife is available for sale to the highest bidder, no questions asked. As much as it hurts for us to split, we're doing it for the greater good. Bidding for her is now open.” There was also “LBJ’s giant balls. Just look at these glorious monstrosities! If LBJ’s presidential library doesn't have a home for them, maybe you do. Because these things could be a real conversation piece for your living room, bedroom, studio apartment, or indeed, nursery.” Ironically, throwing down $10,000 for a three-year old cabbage, $20,100 for a jockstrap, or $25,025 for a sculpture of the male anatomy—all at the time of the publishing of this article—is just making the conservative point that if liberals want to fund PBS and NPR, they can do so themselves. Here is a transcript for the November 16 show: HBO Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 11/16/2025 11:27 PM ET JOHN OLIVER: But while public media's funding was saved on that day, it's been threatened consistently ever since, usually with complaints about its so-called liberal bias. NEWT GINGRICH [1995]: Why is there this small elite group at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that gets to spend money they didn't earn? What right do they have to dole out your money? ROBERT KNIGHT [6/24/2005]: I think the people at PBS see themselves as social agents. They see themselves as having this great forum, this great platform to push what they think will be the good society. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE [2025]: It is brainwashing the American people and, more significantly, American children with un-American, anti-family, pro-crime, fake news. OLIVER: Okay, so, a few things, in order. First, "What right do they have to spend money they didn't earn?" Applies to literally any use of taxpayer money, and also, congratulations to Newt and Callista Gingrich on their documentary, Journey to America, released this year, on — guess what? PBS. Second, if you're curious why this guy was speaking on behalf of a group called "Concerned Women for America," so am I! And, finally, as for Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments, I think we all know what she means by "Anti-family," but I'd love to know what PBS programming is being interpreted as "Pro-crime." Is it the episode of Arthur where The Brain gets himself into a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation? … OLIVER: It can also be crucial during an emergency like a hurricane. Remember that station where one guy's the only full-time news employee? If it goes away, a lot goes with it. KAREN HUA: About 19 percent of Louisiana lives in poverty, and 15 percent don't have internet access, according to the U.S. Census. JEFF FERRELL: You can't afford satellite TV. You can't buy cable. And they're alone. And so it is a lifeline. And what's great about this, is that they feel connected. They stay connected to the world. HUA: These radio emergency alerts are vital during hurricane season, warning folks where and when storms will hit.  FERRELL: Public radio saves lives. The emergency broadcast system. Without it, people would die. OLIVER: Right. Without their emergency broadcast system, people would die. If you take one thing away from this piece, it really should be that. … OLIVER: I am proud to announce Last Week Tonight’s first-ever auction in aid of public media. This is real. It will be running through November 24th, and you can bid at the website johnoliversjunk.com, which was inexplicably available. We have lots of fantastic items up for sale. Here's just a selected few. Now, our first item's actually been auctioned off before because, you may remember, we once bought Russell Crowe's jockstrap from Cinderella Man when he held a, quote, "Art of divorce auction." He then used the proceeds to fund a koala chlamydia ward in Australia in my name. Well, I'm now happy to say this life-saving jockstrap can be yours. Here it is. It's a priceless piece of cinematic history, and it has saved countless koalas. Moving on to item number two: Back in season 9, you may remember that I married a cabbage in a beautiful non-denominational ceremony officiated by Steve Buscemi. Well, and there's no good way to say this, my cabbage wife is available for sale to the highest bidder, no questions asked. As much as it hurts for us to split, we're doing it for the greater good. Bidding for her is now open. Moving on to item number three. And, as I mentioned earlier, these were featured on our show pretty recently. LBJ’s giant balls. Just look at these glorious monstrosities! If LBJ’s presidential library doesn't have a home for them, maybe you do. Because these things could be a real conversation piece for your living room, bedroom, studio apartment, or indeed, nursery. And, in keeping with the presidential theme, we're also auctioning off our wax presidents, which we bought at an auction in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and put in movie parodies with, among others, Laura Linney and Tom Hanks.