Jimmy Fallon tries his best to steer clear of politics, but ironically that’s what gets him in trouble. The late night host’s most memorable moment may be one that’s far from flattering: The time he playfully scruffed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s hair, widely seen as something that normalize him for the general public. And on Friday, when John Oliver tried to sneak some anti-Amazon jokes into what was supposed to be a lighthearted Tonight Show segment, he clumsily tried to shut it down.
Fallon invited the Last Week Tonight host to play a simple game: “Hey Robot,” in which they take turns trying to get an Amazon Alexa, the company’s AI assistant, to say certain words. Fallon kept it light. St. Patrick’s Day had just come and gone, so they tried — and failed — to get it to say “leprechaun.” Fallon successfully got it to say “Liverpool.” But eventually Oliver — who absolutely does not try to steer clear of politics — broke the rules and started to ask it more pointed questions.
“Speak from your heart, Alexa. Your rotten heart,” Oliver said, then asked it, “How bad are Amazon working conditions?” Fallon, who was mid-giggle, tried to shush Alexa before it responded, but Oliver went even further into the brink, asking, “Alexa, what is union-busting?” Fallon then tried to compose himself, begging Alexa not to answer a question it probably wouldn’t anyway.
Oliver has long been critical of Amazon, who have come under fire for deplorable working conditions in their warehouses and for trying to destroy any attempts to form workers’ unions. Indeed, Oliver’s savage jokes earned praise from Athena, a coalition dedicated to calling out Amazon’s abuses.
Thank you @iamjohnoliver for asking @Amazon Alexa about working conditions and union busting #BAmazon in Bessemer, Alabama.
No thank you @jimmyfallon for shutting it down. pic.twitter.com/VbMKho0wY5
— Athena
(@athenaforall) March 17, 2021
They also pointed out that Oliver, when saying goodbye in the following segment, seemed to be a little pissed that Fallon shut down what could have been a hilariously prickly bit.
In true form, John Oliver doubled down against being cut off by Jimmy Fallon when spotlighting Amazon’s worker abuse. pic.twitter.com/jaqaSmlkwi
— Athena
So there you go. Of course, what would one expect from asking a comic who’s better at journalism than many journalists to play a dumb game involving an Amazon gizmo?
You can watch the full segment above.
(Via Vice)