“Stand-up comedy seems like a terrifying thing. Objectively. Before anyone has done it, it seems like one of the most frightening things you could conceive, and there's just no shortcut - you just have to do it.”

John Oliver is a British and American comedian, political commentator, actor, and television personality. He was born in 1977 and is best known as the host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom before moving into American television. He became widely known as the senior British correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a role he held from 2006 to 2013, and his work often blends comedy with politics and current affairs.