John Oliver gave a sharp and funny response to Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to rebrand Max back to HBO Max. On his show Last Week Tonight, Oliver made it clear he was speaking on his own terms — not because the company told him to.
Oliver compared the confusing name changes of HBO’s streaming services to the recent controversial renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” He joked that name changes can be frustrating and unnecessary.
Oliver said it took a long time for people to get used to each new name — HBO Go, then HBO Now, then HBO Max, then just Max — only for the company to switch back to HBO Max again.
Referencing a marketing executive’s statement that they “cannot wait” to hear Oliver’s thoughts, he snapped back: “F— you, don’t tell me what to do.” He joked that the same people who made all those confusing names can’t be that smart.
HBO’s social media also had fun with the rebrand, using memes and clips to react to the switch. One popular post showed all the old logos next to a meme from Euphoria, saying, “Bitch, you better be joking.”
Oliver also joked about political news, including a clip of Donald Trump reacting angrily to a reporter’s question about a $400 million plane gift to Qatar. Oliver quipped about ABC News’s show Doctor Odyssey, criticizing the network for not renewing it despite its wild and entertaining plot.
He ended his segment by calling ABC a “disgrace” for not renewing the show. The future of Doctor Odyssey remains unclear, with the network yet to decide if it will continue the series.
