When did Trump defund the Corporate for Public Broadcasting? John Oliver auctions off souvenirs from Last Week Tonight to support CPB

Comedian John Oliver seems to have taken a unique step to support public media. During the finale episode of his Last Week Tonight show, in which he addressed the situation of public media, Oliver said he had launched a public auction to sell off some of the souvenirs of his show.

In August 2025, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced its closure. The news came after President Donald Trump announced the rollback of $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting. At the time, CPB President Patricia Harrison said:

“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations. CPB remains committed to fulfilling responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”

During the episode of his Last Week Tonight show, John Oliver showed the audience how individuals and stakeholders tried to raise money to support public media. He then said:

“We've actually accumulated a bunch of weird artifacts on this show over the years that we could definitely auction off to raise some much-needed money.”

The next segment of the show was titled ‘Oliver’s Auction.’ The host said that the auction will continue till November 24, and interested buyers can bid on the website johnoliversjunk.com. The first item was actor Russell Crowe’s jockstrap from Cinderella Man. John Oliver said:

“I'm now happy to say this life-saving jock strap can be yours. Here it is. Is a priceless piece of cinematic history and it has saved countless koalas.”

What other items is John Oliver auctioning off?

The second item that John Oliver wanted to auction off was the cabbage that he married in the ninth season of the show. He said that the cabbage was available for sale. He then said:

“Moving on to item number three. And as I mentioned earlier, these were featured on our show pretty recently. LBJ's giant balls. Just look at these glorious monstrosities. If LBJ's presidential library does not have a home for them, maybe you do.”

He went on to say:

“Because these things could be a real conversation piece for your living room, bedroom, studio, apartment, or indeed nursery. And in keeping with the presidential theme, we are also auctioning off our wax presidents, which we bought at an auction in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.”

John Oliver also said that the auction will have an original painting created by Bob Ross. According to him, Ross painted it in 1987, and it has been in storage for 40 years. Speaking about the painting, he said:

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“It is a true masterpiece painted by a man and I'm just going to assume his pocket squirrel Peapod. You can find this painting and many many other items from a case of John Oliver wine to our giant Reese's mug as well as a link to find stations to donate to directly at johnoliversjunk.com.”

Other items available in the auction can be checked through the website mentioned. The 13th season of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight show is expected to arrive sometime in February 2026.

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