John Oliver returned to the studio for his first show on the “Last Week Tonight” set since the start of the pandemic in spring 2020.
And he wasted no time tearing into Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, a hockey-loving tyrant who has clung to power for nearly three decades and has met rising opposition with a brutal crackdown that includes torturing dissidents.
Just last week, opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova was sentenced to 11 years in prison after a largely secret trial.
Lukashenko has denied a coronavirus problem by pointing out the virus can’t be seen, jailed critics who set up teddy bears with protest signs and is so self-conscious about losing his hair that photographers are only allowed to take images of him from certain angles.
Since that appears to be his sorest of sore spots, Oliver spent part of the segment taunting him over his hair ― or lack thereof, complete with photos from multiple angles.
Oliver also played a clip in which Lukashenko demanded that people stop insulting him, insisting that it’s not legal anywhere in the world.
Oliver took that as a challenge.
“Your suit’s too big, you suck at hockey, and whatever it is you do with your hair isn’t fucking working,” Oliver said, then threw up his arms in victory. “See? Not in jail!”
Check out his full segment below: