John Oliver Calls Out ‘Massively Frustrating’ YouTube Release Delay for ‘Last Week Tonight’ – Here’s What Changed!

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver just launched its new season on HBO and Max, and fans were thrilled to find the episode available on YouTube the same night.

This is a big change from last season, when HBO delayed posting episodes on YouTube. They pushed the release from the following Monday to Thursday to boost Max subscriptions. This change upset many fans, and even John Oliver called it “massively frustrating.”

HBO did make an exception for a pre-election episode last November. That episode, where Oliver discussed the implications of a second Trump term and encouraged viewers to vote for Kamala Harris, was released on YouTube right after the show aired.

At that time, HBO said the quick release was a one-time event. Now, it’s back to normal for the show. Oliver had been advocating for this change, and sources say the shift was prompted by data showing that the delay hadn’t improved viewership on Max.

This season, only the main story from each episode will be posted on YouTube. In the latest episode, Oliver focused on Donald Trump’s first month in office and criticized Elon Musk, calling him a “parasitic freak,” along with his DOGE team. Because of this focus, the full episode was posted on YouTube that night.