John Oliver Chides Connecticut City for Chickening Out

Says he'll give $55K to charity if Danbury gives sewage plant his name
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 31, 2020 3:50 PM CDT
John Oliver Ups the Stakes in Spat With Connecticut City
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton stands in front of the Danbury Wastewater Treatment Plant in Danbury, Conn., as he announces a tongue-in-cheek move to rename the facility after John Oliver.   (Office of Mayor Mark Boughton via AP)

Comedian John Oliver upped the stakes in a tongue-in-cheek spat with a Connecticut city, offering to donate $55,000 to charity if officials follow through on a joke to name its sewage treatment plant after him. Mayor Mark Boughton said last week that Danbury was going to rename the facility the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant, in response to Oliver's expletive-filled rant against the city on a recent episode of HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. "Why? Because it's full of crap just like you, John," Boughton said in a video posted on his Facebook page. On Sunday's show, Oliver said he was surprised and delighted by the city's response. But then he went off on another rant after playing a video of Boughton saying it was just a joke, the AP reports.

"Wait, so you’re not doing it? Aw (expletive) you, Danbury," Oliver said. "You had the first good idea in your city’s history and you chickened out on the follow through. What a classic Danbury move. Listen, I didn’t know that I wanted my name on your (expletive) factory but now that you floated it as an option, it is all that I want." Oliver offered to donate $55,000 to Danbury-area charities, including $25,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, if the city renamed the plant after him. If not, Oliver said he would make charitable donations to “rival” towns including Waterbury and Torrington. Boughton said Monday that city officials were considering Oliver's "very generous offer and planned to release a response by the end of the week. He said the City Council would have to approve any name change.

(More John Oliver stories.)

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