'Dumbest question asked on TV': John Oliver ridicules Fox News' absurd coverage of campus protests

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Oliver returned to the airwaves of 'Last Week Tonight' after a brief hiatus, and he wasted no time in taking a swipe at Fox News for their coverage of student protests regarding the Gaza conflict.

He pointedly examined how various cable news networks were handling the demonstrations, with a special focus on a segment aired by Fox News at Columbia University.

Absurd questions and sarcastic remarks: Fox News' coverage of student protests

According to hollywood reporter, during this segment, a Fox News reporter posed a question to a student regarding the NYPD's involvement in the protests. The student, visibly frustrated, asserted their right to protest and expressed the intensity of the situation, stating, “It’s insane. We have a right to protest. Look at that, it’s f***ing crazy.”

Oliver couldn't help but highlight the sheer absurdity of the follow-up questions from the reporter, which essentially boiled down to asking whether the student would comply with police if they were to be arrested. The reporter asked, “Are you going to go with the police if they make arrests?” to which the student responded, “I guess so.”

Jhon Oliver's sardonic response and mockery of Fox News reporting

In his trademark sarcastic tone, Oliver applauded the student for maintaining composure in the face of what he deemed possibly the most nonsensical question ever uttered on television. He then proceeded to lampoon the Fox News reporter by conjuring up ridiculous hypothetical scenarios, "Did that reporter just ask, ‘Are you going to go with the police if they arrest you?’ Kudos to that student for giving the calmest possible answer to what might be the dumbest question ever asked on TV. ‘If the guys with guns put you in handcuffs and drag you to the jail, will you go with them?’ ‘Yeah, I guess so.'”

In a satirical twist, Oliver poked fun at how Fox News viewers might react dramatically to a student's use of profanity on air, playfully imagining an exaggerated obituary for a hypothetical viewer who couldn't handle such language.

He continued, “Also thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of the one boomer who was killed by hearing that student say ‘fuck’ on Fox News. Somewhere, a family’s writing [his] obituary. ‘Paul John Roberts passed away in his home when his eyeballs, heart and butthole exploded. At the same time, he’s survived by his wife and three adult children, who no longer speak to him.'”