John Oliver is fascinated by NRA TV but not scared of the NRA's 'dumbest' endeavor

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

published 5 March 2018

After the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, the NRA is once again taking heat, John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight, but "the public pressure this time is actually starting to take a toll." Still, "the boycott train hit a bit of a snag when it ran into one of the NRA's lesser-known side ventures," NRA TV, still streaming over Apple TV, Amazon, and Roku, he said. "With all of the discussion this week of boycotting NRA TV, we thought it might be worth answering the question 'What the f--k is that?'"

The network has scored some viral success, like the clip of the man smashing a TV in the name of "truth," with a cameo by John Oliver. But NRA TV isn't just trollish clickbait, Oliver said. They also have news programming — "it's essentially just Fox News on a much lower budget" — plus "lots and lots of shows, and they are so much stranger than you would think. So tonight, let's watch some NRA TV together, because it's fascinating."

There are "gun bros" like the guy "whose most treasured possession is a cross made out of human bones," a "large amount of content aimed explicitly at women," and some much darker content, Oliver said, "less Planet Earth and more 'deranged letter from a serial killer.'" One NRA TV host even "slut-shamed marijuana," he added. So what is NRA TV? "It's just a vessel to sell America guns. That's pretty much it," he said. Isn't Oliver helping sell NRA TV, then? He doesn't seem concerned: "Look, having watched a sh-tload of NRA TV's programming, here is what I'll say about it: There is a lot to be concerned about regarding the NRA's activities, but NRA TV might actually be the dumbest, most transparent thing that it does." There is NSFW language, from Oliver and NRA TV. Watch below. Peter Weber

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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.