John Oliver is fascinated by NRA TV but not scared of the NRA's 'dumbest' endeavor
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
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Passenger: 'pleasingly off-kilter' ITV crime drama
The Week Recommends There's 'plenty to be feared' in this British murder mystery set in a quiet northern town
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nvidia sees historic stock rise on AI chips success
Speed Read U.S. chipmaker Nvidia achieved the biggest one-day increase in value of any company in history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York may seize Trump's assets for $450M penalty
Speed Read The former president likely owes $600 million from two civil judgments in New York
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published