John Oliver Takes a Jab at J.D. Vance Over His Failed Kamala Harris Jokes

Last Week Tonight host, John Oliver, is back from his summer break and he didn't hold back in poking fun at Republican vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance. He brought up a clip from the 2022 Senate campaign when Vance struggled to land a joke about Kamala Harris. In the video, Vance tried to insult Harris about the way she laughed. He said, "Biden is likely to be replaced by [Harris] who I've heard called 'Cackela Harris,' because she has this weird cackle, right?" The audience however stayed silent.

Vance's attempt at humor did not end there. Instead, he went on to throw another joke about Harris. "But I heard a joke about Kamala that I thought was pretty funny recently...Bill Clinton was watching her on TV, and Bill thought, 'You know, man, she's just so condescending. She's mean-spirited. She's kinda nasty. Maybe I should leave my wife and marry her instead.'" The joke landed terribly and the audience booed Vance. In light of the same, Oliver couldn't resist giving Vance some advice. "Look, J.D. Comedian to comedian. Never make the set-up— I heard a joke that I thought was pretty funny recently— But if you do, make sure that what you say next is funny, and also, an actual joke," as per The Daily Beast. 

The HBO host didn't stop there. He called out both Vance and Donald Trump. "They're misogynists, narcissists...plausible Masked Singer contestants. But they are also deeply weird." Oliver added that "each day seems to bring new evidence of Vance failing to connect with ordinary Americans." This isn't the first time Vance has faced criticism for his attempts at humor. During the speech in Big Rapids, Michigan, he had yet again tried to roast Harris.

He joked that Harris's advisers were considering copying Trump's platform. "I've heard that for her debate in just a couple of weeks, she's going to put on a navy suit, a long red tie, and adopt the slogan 'Make America Great Again.'" The crowd didn't seem amused. Vance also made some strange comments about his own family. He praised his mother's recovery from drug addiction but then awkwardly scolded her for spoiling his kids. "Mom, no more Pokemon cards. In front of a thousand people, no more Pokemon cards. Kids have got enough." The crowd remained silent still.

Oliver isn't the only one taking shots at Vance. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate, recently made a joke about Vance at a Philadelphia rally. Referencing a false rumor about Vance and a couch, Walz said, "I can't wait to debate the guy…that is if he's willing to get off the couch and show up." Unlike Vance, he however got the crowd crackling. Walz also criticized Vance's background. "Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, J.D. studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller trashing that community…Come on, that's not what Middle America is," as per Indy 100.