Episode 3 of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” released on March 5, 2023, focuses on Ron DeSantis. After discussing topics like psychedelic-assisted therapy and artificial intelligence, John Oliver chose Florida’s governor as the focal point of the show this time. Here is the full recap of the third episode of “Last Week Tonight.”
Spoilers Ahead
All About DeSantis
Episode 3 of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” starts with an introduction to Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who has been all over the news. Recently, he appointed his political backers to the new Disney oversight board, and he released a new book called “The Courage to Be Free.” Oliver shows a video of DeSantis’ speech, which, although he has not yet announced his presidential run, many already believe he is the favorite, and some even call him “DeFuture,” which John Oliver sarcastically labels as “depressing.”
Oliver then shows a clip from Kari Lake’s introduction to DeSantis, in which he mentions he has got B.D.E., which stands for Big DeSantis Energy, but Oliver states B.D.E. should only stand for Big D*ck Energy in a hilarious manner.
Oliver then showcases Trump’s take on DeSantis. From calling DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” to “Meatball Ron,” Trump really established an interesting rivalry for the upcoming elections.
Thai, Not Thigh
A well-known figure’s early life story is exciting, but when it’s John Oliver telling stories from someone’s past, you get the feeling it will always be something different than usual. Oliver reveals that DeSantis, in his college days, used to go on dates and ask for Thai food, but instead of calling it in a proper way, DeSantis used to call it “thigh food,” which is very absurd. Interestingly, whenever a girl used to correct DeSantis about the mispronunciation, DeSantis used to leave by giving a silly excuse. It is very obvious that DeSantis did not want a girlfriend who would correct him.
Facts About Ron DeSantis
In 2012, Ron DeSantis was selected for Congress, and his former colleagues in Congress stated that he used to have earbuds on all the time so that he could avoid people. Oliver then shows a clip where DeSantis acts in a brief campaign commercial that has a resemblance to the famous movie “Top Gun” and establishes himself as “Top Gov.” Even though DeSantis claims that he has always supported journalists, Oliver shows footage where DeSantis clearly ignores a female journalist and later mansplains her, which Oliver sarcastically labels as “meatballsplaining.”
Fox News And DeSantis
DeSantis has appeared on Fox News very often—to be exact, one hundred and thirteen times so far, which indicates a unique relationship between them. Oliver hilariously takes a shot at this equation and says if Fox News were a person and if she ever went on a date with Ron DeSantis, she would never correct DeSantis when he calls Thai food “thigh food.”
DeSantis’ Insanity
Ron DeSantis is someone who has done terrible things in the past. For instance, he banned transgender healthcare treatments for minors and even signed a fifteen-week abortion ban into law. DeSantis has always been bashing “woke” culture, despite solidifying statements that under his watch, Florida has now become the freest state among the states in the U.S.A. DeSantis’ general counsel defined the meaning of “woke ” as a view that shows there are some systemic injustices in American society that need to have policies that directly address them. It is very problematic that DeSantis, even after knowing everything, still bashes it.
DeSantis made some hateful proclamations, along with signing attention-grabbing bills that seem to be designed to please the conservatives and enrage the liberals. The “anti-riot” law, which was passed by DeSantis during the “Black Lives Matter” protest in the summer of 2022, strengthened criminal penalties against the rioters. DeSantis even feels proud that the United Nations heavily criticized his “anti-riot” legislation and wears it as a badge of honor, which does not make any sense. Even a judge stated that the “anti-riot” law could not only criminalize legal and protected speech but is also vague enough to be an extension of unconstitutionality.
DeSantis made an undeniable impact on schools in Florida, which is highly debatable, and some of his actions are highly questionable. He banned books, changed the curriculum, and limited talk about gender identity or sex from kindergarten to the third grade. He changed several course books with false claims and even banned several books from the library by enforcing laws. Ron DeSantis’ law encourages people to claim a ban for even picture books. Recently, a teacher in Florida challenged around 115 books to get them banned, and problematically, the school considered her point and banned some of the books from her list. One of the books that have been banned is called “And Tango Makes It Three,” which is a picture book for children that showcases two male penguins raising a baby chick. The reason to ban the book is absurd. The teacher stated the book could make children have an idea and think about the possibility that two people of the same sex can love each other.
Ron DeSantis is indeed a man who proves his insanity through his acts of removing books, shaming trans athletes, attempting to criminalize protests, and enforcing abortion laws.
Ending
Episode 03 of “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” ends with an advertisement segment that showcases Radiant Plumbing’s parody advertisements of movies like Avengers and Dune, and in the closing moments of the show, Oliver offers Radiant a movie to make an advertisement for, which has been written on a sealed letter and gives one week for a reply to reveal the movie.