Content & Trigger Warnings for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)
18 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) contains 18 content warnings : Hate crimes (depicted), Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Religious persecution, Death of a child, Suicide (discussed or ideation), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, War / combat, Wrongful imprisonment, Needles / medical procedures, Drug use (depicted), Overdose scenes, Gun violence, Police brutality, Sexual assault / rape, Slavery / forced labor, Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 4/5), War / combat (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
3 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Hate crimes (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Referenced | News coverage and discussion of hate crimes and their political context |
| Hate crimes (depicted) | S5 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of rising hate crimes including anti-Asian violence and white supremacist attacks |
| Hate crimes (depicted) | S9 | 3/5 | Depicted | Segments on hate-motivated violence and extremism with disturbing clips |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of anti-LGBTQ legislation and discrimination with clips of homophobic rhetoric |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S5 | 3/5 | Depicted | Segments on anti-trans legislation and LGBTQ rights rollbacks with hostile rhetoric shown |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S9 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of anti-LGBTQ legislation and book bans with hostile rhetoric |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Discussion and clips of racism in politics and media, including use of slurs in quoted context |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S5 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of racial justice movements with clips containing racist language and imagery |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S9 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued coverage of racism with clips containing discriminatory language |
| Religious persecution | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Segments covering religious discrimination and persecution globally |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | All | 1/5 | Referenced | Deaths of children are discussed in segments covering gun violence, healthcare, and other issues. |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | References to suicide in context of mental health policy discussions |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S5 | 2/5 | Referenced | Mental health crisis discussions including suicide statistics and prevention |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S9 | 2/5 | Referenced | Mental health crisis statistics and suicide prevention discussed in policy context |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S5 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of political disinformation and institutional manipulation of public narratives |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S9 | 3/5 | Depicted | Political manipulation and disinformation campaigns covered extensively |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Discussion of genocides and humanitarian crises in international coverage |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S5 | 3/5 | Referenced | Coverage of ongoing genocides and ethnic cleansing with disturbing descriptions |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S9 | 4/5 | Referenced | In-depth coverage of humanitarian crises and alleged genocides with graphic descriptions |
| War / combat | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | News footage of military conflicts and war zones shown during segments |
| War / combat | S5 | 3/5 | Depicted | Coverage of international conflicts with combat footage and civilian casualties discussed |
| War / combat | S9 | 4/5 | Depicted | Extensive coverage of major international conflicts with battlefield footage |
| Wrongful imprisonment | S5 | 3/5 | Referenced | Segments on criminal justice reform highlighting wrongful convictions and mass incarceration |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Needles / medical procedures | S5 | 2/5 | Depicted | Vaccination footage showing needle injections during pandemic coverage |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Drug use (depicted) | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Coverage of the opioid crisis and drug policy with references to addiction |
| Overdose scenes | S5 | 2/5 | Referenced | Opioid epidemic coverage including overdose death statistics |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Gun violence | S1 | 3/5 | Referenced | Extensive coverage of mass shootings and gun policy debates with some news footage |
| Gun violence | S5 | 3/5 | Referenced | Continued coverage of mass shootings and gun violence epidemics |
| Gun violence | S9 | 3/5 | Referenced | Ongoing coverage of gun violence incidents and policy debates |
| Police brutality | All | 2/5 | Depicted | News footage of police violence is shown during segments covering criminal justice issues. |
| Sexual assault / rape | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Coverage of sexual assault cases and related legislation discussed in detail |
| Sexual assault / rape | S5 | 3/5 | Referenced | MeToo-related coverage and discussion of sexual assault allegations against public figures |
| Sexual assault / rape | S9 | 2/5 | Referenced | Sexual assault discussed in context of legal cases and institutional accountability |
| Slavery / forced labor | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Historical slavery discussed in segments about racial justice and reparations |
| Torture | All | 1/5 | Referenced | Torture programs and interrogation methods are discussed in government accountability segments. |
Identity & Discrimination
News coverage and discussion of hate crimes and their political context
Coverage of rising hate crimes including anti-Asian violence and white supremacist attacks
Segments on hate-motivated violence and extremism with disturbing clips
Coverage of anti-LGBTQ legislation and discrimination with clips of homophobic rhetoric
Segments on anti-trans legislation and LGBTQ rights rollbacks with hostile rhetoric shown
Coverage of anti-LGBTQ legislation and book bans with hostile rhetoric
Discussion and clips of racism in politics and media, including use of slurs in quoted context
Coverage of racial justice movements with clips containing racist language and imagery
Continued coverage of racism with clips containing discriminatory language
Segments covering religious discrimination and persecution globally
Mental Health & Emotional
Deaths of children are discussed in segments covering gun violence, healthcare, and other issues.
References to suicide in context of mental health policy discussions
Mental health crisis discussions including suicide statistics and prevention
Mental health crisis statistics and suicide prevention discussed in policy context
Other
Coverage of political disinformation and institutional manipulation of public narratives
Political manipulation and disinformation campaigns covered extensively
Discussion of genocides and humanitarian crises in international coverage
Coverage of ongoing genocides and ethnic cleansing with disturbing descriptions
In-depth coverage of humanitarian crises and alleged genocides with graphic descriptions
News footage of military conflicts and war zones shown during segments
Coverage of international conflicts with combat footage and civilian casualties discussed
Extensive coverage of major international conflicts with battlefield footage
Segments on criminal justice reform highlighting wrongful convictions and mass incarceration
Phobias & Sensory
Vaccination footage showing needle injections during pandemic coverage
Substance Use
Coverage of the opioid crisis and drug policy with references to addiction
Violence & Physical Harm
Extensive coverage of mass shootings and gun policy debates with some news footage
News footage of police violence is shown during segments covering criminal justice issues.
Coverage of sexual assault cases and related legislation discussed in detail
MeToo-related coverage and discussion of sexual assault allegations against public figures
Sexual assault discussed in context of legal cases and institutional accountability
Historical slavery discussed in segments about racial justice and reparations
Torture programs and interrogation methods are discussed in government accountability segments.
