John Oliver says Trump’s return has revived his immigrant anxiety despite gaining US citizenship in 2019

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: John Oliver, the British-born host of HBO’s 'Last Week Tonight', says President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdowns have stirred the same unease he once felt before becoming a US citizen.

Speaking on Monica Lewinsky’s podcast 'Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky', Oliver explained that even after receiving citizenship in 2019, news of mass deportations and heightened immigration enforcement in Trump’s second term has made that anxiety resurface.

John Oliver says Trump’s immigration policies have rekindled fears despite gaining US citizenship

Oliver recalled his years working on Comedy Central’s 'The Daily Show', when he lived in the US under visas supported by corporate lawyers. Even in what he described as “the best version” of the immigration process, his legal status was a constant, nagging presence in his mind.

“And I have to remind myself now, with all these stories going on… it brings something out of you. Like it’s there — that anxiety that I thought I’d moved past the day I got my citizenship. I thought it would be gone then,” he said, noting, “I didn’t feel that… the relief didn’t feel enough.”

The British host recalled feeling a deep connection to America even before he was a citizen. “And it was incredibly tense,” he said, adding, “That immigration experience is tough even if you have the best version of it. And there’s no doubt I had the best version of it. I had Viacom lawyers at that point when I was with 'The Daily Show'.”

He continued, “Then I finally got my citizenship in 2019, at the end of 2019. But I realized I thought about it every day. Somewhere in the back of my head was my immigration status. At no point was it not somewhere in my mind.”

Lewinsky, who became a global figure after her relationship with former President Bill Clinton, said she could relate in a limited way to immigrants living under the threat of deportation.

“I’ve had a sense of understanding a tiny, tiny bit — I empathize with the immigrants who are going through the crisis right now. Right? ICE f***ers,” she said. “Yeah… just that feeling of being hunted, of feeling unsafe, like something could happen at any moment.”

“Now, for me, the hunting — the consequences of that — were nowhere near what they’re suffering,” Lewinsky added.

Internet trolls John Oliver after he admits immigration anxiety under Trump

Late-night host John Oliver faced a wave of mockery online after revealing he has renewed anxiety about his immigration status under former President Donald Trump.

Critics dismissed his concerns. “John Oliver is a liberal and liberals always want to play the victim,” one user wrote.

“He should be worried about his terrible show getting canceled,” another added. “Another deranged clown trying to make something out of nothing. He’s trying to revive his dead career.”

“Trump has threatened to take away US citizenship at least three times. Oliver is not the crazy one,” one user argued.

Skeptics kept piling on, with one writing, “Just another in the long, long line of lying liberals."

“Is he as stupid as his concern sounds?” another asked.

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