When most people see their faces on a magazine or a billboard, they feel excited and honored. John Oliver, on the other hand, just smiles and squirms uncomfortably.
That’s the sentiment that Oliver expressed when he stopped by The Tonight Show Tuesday night to discuss the upcoming premiere of his new HBO series, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The former Daily Show correspondent shared how unsettled he was that his face was appearing in ads all over New York to promote his new show.
Oliver, who currently graces the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, talked about his experience attending the launch party for the magazine.
“They asked me what is it like [to be on the cover], and I said ‘it makes me feel nauseous and uncomfortable.’ I looked up at the man interviewing me and his face was like ‘what are you doing? That’s not the answer we’re looking for,’’ said Oliver, who replied sheepishly “so I just said ‘it’s a huge honor.’”
Oliver also expressed his disappointment with the people of New York City to Jimmy Fallon that NYC citizens were not capitalizing on the artistic possibilities of his show’s new ad campaign.
“When they first came out, I realized we made a huge mistake. We left massive white spaces. Basically a canvas for the insane population of New York to paint upon,” said Oliver, according to Entertainment Weekly. “And there’s been nothing. New York used to be an edgy city. If they can’t do graffiti on [the ads] then it’s a disgrace.”
Last Week Tonight premiers Sunday at 11 p.m. on HBO. See Oliver and Fallon’s entire conversation in the clip below.