{"id":7173,"date":"2026-06-29T12:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/john-oliver-pokes-fun-at-ridiculous-career-move-not-my-plan-b\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T12:11:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:11:51","slug":"john-oliver-pokes-fun-at-ridiculous-career-move-not-my-plan-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/john-oliver-pokes-fun-at-ridiculous-career-move-not-my-plan-b\/","title":{"rendered":"John Oliver pokes fun at &#8216;ridiculous&#8217; career move: &#8216;Not my Plan B&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F06%2Foliver-27.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>John Oliver is heading to soap opera screens.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d host revealed on Sunday that he booked roles on both \u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d and \u201cGeneral Hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 49-year-old called the latter \u201ceverything [he] hoped it would be\u201d in a <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/tv\/news\/john-oliver-general-hospital-guest-star-1236794160\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement to Variety<\/a> over the weekend.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>John Oliver is going to make his soap opera debut on \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d (pictured above) and \u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d later this summer. <span class=\"credit\">CHRISTINE BARTOLUCCI\/ABC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d host (pictured above on May 11) made the reveal over the weekend. <span class=\"credit\">GC Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a true honor to be a small stain on the history of this illustrious show,\u201d he told the outlet, going on to call \u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d a \u201chuge honor\u201d as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am happy to say that I\u2019ve already taped a week of episodes,\u201d Oliver said. \u201cIt\u2019s been home to some of the most renowned soap opera actors, like\u00a0Deidre Hall,\u00a0Susan Seaforth Hayes\u00a0and\u00a0John Aniston. It\u2019s also featured guest appearances from legends like\u00a0Dick Van Dyke,\u00a0Betty White\u00a0and now me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The comedian, who has been a late-night host since April 2014, clarified that \u201csoap opera acting is not [his] Plan B.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The comedian (pictured above on April 13) called the roles a \u201chuge honor.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Oliver (pictured above on May 21) clarified acting is not his \u201cPlan B.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">GC Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He explained, \u201cI simply offered my hypothetical acting abilities to any soap that would meet my terms, which were: I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy storyline like murder or slapping and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oliver put his hat in the ring during a March episode of his HBO show after finding out about Stephen A. Smith\u2019s recurring role on \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d as Brick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you,\u201d he announced. \u201cWrite me a role, and I\u2019ll be on your set so fast, it\u2019ll make your head spin.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Oliver (pictured above in September 2025) wanted a \u201cjuicy storyline\u201d and a character with a \u201cridiculous name.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Variety via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The 49-year-old (pictured above in December 2025) publicly asked for a soap opera role back in March. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Children in Conflict<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Smith, 58, subsequently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DWAKiihkfHg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked Oliver via Instagram<\/a> whether he was \u201cready to commit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ESPN commentator said, \u201cThis is serious, OK? You\u2019ve gotta be willing to be that bad guy. \u2026 Can\u2019t have the smile on your face all the time. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve gotta wear that scowl, you\u2019ve gotta be irritating, you\u2019ve gotta be all of those things,\u201d he continued. \u201cYou\u2019ve gotta welcome being disliked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d\u00a0executive producer\u00a0Frank Valentini \u201cdidn\u2019t hesitate for a second\u201d when he saw Oliver\u2019s public plea for a role, he told Variety on Sunday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>At the time, he brought up ESPN\u2019s Stephen A. Smith having a recurring \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d role as Brick (pictured above). <span class=\"credit\">ABC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Smith (pictured above on \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d) warned Oliver earlier this year that he needed to be \u201cready to commit.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">ABC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHe was everything you\u2019d hope he\u2019d be: prepared, professional, funny and genuinely kind to everyone on\u00a0set,\u201d Valentini recalled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe plays an integral character in the story, and I can\u2019t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths within Port Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oliver\u2019s three \u201cGeneral Hospital\u201d episodes will air July 2, 3 and 6, with his \u201cDays of Our Lives\u201d debut, meanwhile, taking place on August 11, 12 and 14.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/06\/29\/entertainment\/john-oliver-pokes-fun-at-ridiculous-career-move-not-my-plan-b\/\" target=\"_blank\">Source link<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Oliver is heading to soap opera screens. The \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d host revealed on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oliver-27.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}