Jane Goodall teaches John Oliver how to fight, eat bananas like a chimpanzee

Jane Goodall teaches John Oliver how to fight, eat bananas like a chimpanzee
(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

John Oliver sometimes interviews notably smart or accomplished people on Last Week Tonight. On Sunday's show, he featured Dr. Jane Goodall on his "Great Minds: People Who Think Good" series. Oliver never quite brings his interviews to a Zach Galifianakis/Between Two Ferns level of awkwardness, but he does like to gently press buttons. "You never put a hat on a chimpanzee? I refuse to believe that," Oliver told Goodall at one point, earning a gentle "Then we shall disagree for the rest of our lives" from the famous primate researcher.

Goodall taught Oliver some simple chimpanzee communication sounds and gestures — enough to get into a brief chimp fight — and how a chimp eats a banana. Oliver threw out some ridiculous chimp names, and it turns out they both think "Poothrow Hitler" is a fine one. Who knew? --Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.