Category: News

Welcome to SNX DLX! We’ve got a pretty light week this time around, with Nike and Adidas landing almost every spot on our weekly list and few worthwhile offerings from the other brands. That sounds grimmer than the reality, though, because if you like the Nike SB Dunks, this is very much your week. Three high-top SB Dunks and a low in one week sets a new SNX record. We’ve never quadruple-dipped on a single silhouette — leave it to the SB Dunk to pull it off.

Elsewhere on the list, we’ve got the latest Yeezys, new Suicoke sandals, and a new addition to the Adidas 4D lineage. If you’re not about the Nike Dunk, you’ll be glad to hear the silhouette will be taking a break for the next couple of weeks with some truly exciting sneakers set to drop from New Balance, Nike, Jordan, and Adidas next week and into spring. Let’s dive in!

Adidas Yeezy BOOST 700 V2 Cream

The Yeezy 350 may be the world’s most popular sneaker these days, but the Yeezy 700 will go down as the brand’s most beloved and respected silhouette, mark our words. This week a V2 iteration of the silhouette will drop in a clean Cream colorway. Featuring an upper of rolled knit and suede with nubuck leather overlays, the 700 V2 is dressed in an off-white and pale grey colorway and sits atop a full-length Boost unit. The shoe features a grippy rubber outsole with a herringbone traction pattern.

The Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 V2 Cream is set to drop on March 12th for a retail price of $240. Pick up a pair at GOAT.

Nike Dunk High Barley Green

This minty pair of Dunks was released as part of Nike’s NBA All-Star Weekend collection and features glossy black overlays on a barely green upper. The overlays have a zig-zag, almost zebra-like patterning on them, which is shared on the shoe’s wraparound swoosh. Rounding out the design is matching barley green laces and official NBA All-Star Indianapolis branding.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “wasn’t the game in Atlanta?” you’re not wrong. This means Nike had this ready for us well before the game was moved. But when sneakers look this good, we can easily overlook the error. If anything, this makes the pair even more interesting.

The Nike Dunk High Barley Green is out now for a retail price of $110. Pick up a pair at Asphalt Gold or StockX.

Nike Dunk High Orange Blaze/Syracuse

Also known as the “Syracuse” this Orange Blaze hightop Dunk is a refresh of a coveted 1985 colorway and drops in a full-size run today. Note to Nike — make all of your releases full-size runs! The Orange Blaze, or Syracuse if you’ve got school spirit, features a leather upper with vibrant orange material overlays.

Wearing these are like rocking highlighters on your feet, no one is going to not notice your kicks. This is good because we’re getting closer and closer to a world where we can actually show off the fits we’ve been collecting all pandemic long.

The Nike Dunk High Syracuse are set to drop today for a retail price of $110. They’re likely clean sold out at Nike SNKRS, pick up a pair at Foot Locker or StockX.

Nice Kicks x Adidas Ultra4D Have a Nice Day

We mentioned this a few months back but we’re going to reiterate — Adidas 4D sneakers are getting doper by the day. Okay, we didn’t quite put it that way, but we’re loving the direction Adidas’ future-tech kicks have been heading in since the tech that makes the shoes so expensive has gotten cheaper. For this iteration, Adidas called on the talents of San Francisco retailer Nick Kicks, who supplied a Haight Ashbury hippie-inspired psychedelic dye pattern printed on the 4D’s eco-friendly upper.

The midsole graphic is printed with light and oxygen, resulting in a less wasteful printing process and the whole thing sits on that distinct 4D webbed sole.

The Nice Kicks x Adidas Ultra4D Have a Nice Day is set to drop on March 12th for a retail price of $225. Pick up a pair exclusively at Nice Kicks.

Dr. Martens Suicoke Sandal Collection

If you’re on the hunt for some new sandals for the spring season but everything you’re finding isn’t… I don’t know… tough enough? Dr. Martens has got your back. The iconic brand has linked up with the Japanese label Suicoke for two reworked versions of the brand’s Boak and Depa silhouettes. They pretty much look exactly what you’d imagine a Dr. Martens sandal would look like, with that distinct punk rock aesthetic the brand is known for — now in sandal form!

The collection combines Suicoke’s footbed with Dr. Marten’s Lorsan outsole.

It’s kind of funny but at the same time, incredibly stylish. If the formless alien-like sandals that are en vogue right now are a bit of a turn-off for you, this sandal is for you.

The Dr. Martens x Suicoke Sandal collection is set to drop on March 13th. Pick up a pair at the Suicoke and Dr. Martens web stores.

Nike SB Dunk High x Carpet Company Royal Pulse

This high-top Dunk made in collaboration with Baltimore-based skate brand Carpet Company is probably the week’s most hyped drop. Featuring a white leather upper with semi-translucent screen printing-inspired blue overlays, and a tearaway fabric that reveals some unique Carpet Company graphics and a deconstructed (literally) aesthetic as you abuse them.

We know they are meant to be skated in, but the Royal Pulse just looks so perfect in its un-distressed state that you’re going to want to keep them pristine for as long as possible.

The Nike SB Dunk High x Carpet Company Royal Pulse is set to drop on March 12th for a retail price of $125. Pick up a pair via Nike SNKRS or select independent skate shops like Berric’s Canteen and Carpet Company.

Nike Dunk Low Orange Pearl

In a week packed with must-cop high-top Dunks, it’s good to see the low top continue to get some love. Featuring pale coral overlays over a white leather base, the WMNS-sized Orange Pearl sports a perforated toe box with a padded nylon tongue, woven Nike branding, and a two-tone white and pink outsole. What it have killed Nike to give this spring-friendly iteration a full-size run? Apparently!

The Nike Dunk Low Orange Pearl is set to drop on March 15th. Pick up a pair at GOAT for $260.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

We’re over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s fair to cut each other a little slack over our appearances. Some of us have put on a few pounds while stuck in isolation. Others have got a little too used to bumming it around the house in sweats and T-shirts.

Most of us have all suffered from months of bad hair because it’s been tough to get a haircut.

Jacob Lee-Stokes, 15, a student at the Humberston Academy in Grimsby, England was excited to return to school after months of distance learning, but on the first day back got in trouble for violating the school’s dress code.

During lockdown, he experimented with his natural ginger-colored hair by dying it blue and pink. Then, he attempted to even out the color by dying it blonde. This resulted in a two-tone look that wouldn’t fly at Humberston. But he couldn’t have it fixed by a hairstylist because they were closed due to the pandemic.

All his mother owned was a pair of dog clippers.

So on the first day back, Jacob was immediately put in isolation where students are forced to work alone the entire day. It’s the UK version of being sent to the principal’s office.

“After all the weeks of home learning and he goes off to school for 8:20 am and then I get a call at 9:15 am on the first day to say he is in isolation for the whole day, is outrageous,” his mother, Gemma Leaning, told Grimsby Live.

“I understand the school policy and would normally have taken him to the hairdressers but no one has that option during lockdown,” she added.

The mother had few options when for fixing her son’s hair and assumed the school would have some sympathy for him on the first day back. However, the school suggested that she “shave it off.”

“I don’t know what they expect parents to do,” the mother said. “They would not say ‘shave your hair’ to a girl. Who is to decide what looks nice and what doesn’t?”

After all, according to Gemma, her son is a model student.

Humberston Academyvia Google

“It is not as if he is a naughty pupil. He is part of the school’s Shine Project and is looking at which university he wants to study at. He did all his work in lockdown, set up a mini-enterprise, and is predicted to have good grades.”

The mother said she believes the school’s response was “petty.” Her son agrees.

“I would like to see schools focus more on how well kids are doing in themselves rather than how they look and how the school looks,” Jacob said. “All schools need to focus on kids’ mental health and not just say they are looking after students’ mental health. I just want to get back into lessons.”

Spending the first day back in isolation was so stressful he took the next day off from school.

In a statement, the school said that it’s “empathetic,” but stands by its decision. “We also have clear expectations of appropriate hairstyles, including hair dye,” the statement said, “parents and students have known for some time now that the first day back at school would be March 8, and we expect families to take appropriate steps meeting our existing policies for a smooth return back to school.”

Schools have rules and parents and students should respect them. But the academy should have realized that after a long, stressful time off that some students may not be 100% ready to return to school. It would have been appropriate for them to issue a warning and ask that his hair be fixed when hairdressers reopen. Or give his mother a few days to order a shaver off Amazon.

“Jane the Virgin” actor Greice Santo revealed that a scene featuring her and Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew has been cut from the upcoming Warner Bros. film, “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”

The film is a sequel to the 1996 film “Space Jam” which paired NBA legend Michael Jordan with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters.

Santo and Le Pew were supposed to appear together in a black-and-white scene parodying “Casablanca” where she beats up the cartoon skunk for being sexually aggressive.

Le Pew has come under fire recently for being seen by some as the epitome of rape culture. The French skunk was known for being overly aggressive in his pursuit of a black cat known as Penelope Pussycat. Le Pew would kiss the cat’s arms and hold her in a deep embrace, even when they protested.

Every time a female fought back against Le Pew, he’d misinterpret it as a sign of interest.

Simply put, “no” never meant “no” to Le Pew. In a 2021 column for The New York Times, Charles M. Blow wrote that Le Pew “normalized rape culture.”

While some will say that cutting Le Pew from the “Space Jam” sequel makes the character another victim of today’s intolerant “cancel culture,” criticism of the skunk isn’t a new thing.

Comedian Dave Chappelle realized that Le Pew was a terrible example for kids back in 2000, when he made fun of the skunk in his “Killin’ Them Softly’ standup special.

Warning: Strong language.

“Some wild shit! Like, I was with my nephew, sitting there watching Pepé Le Pew, and I said, ‘Now, pay attention to this guy because he’s funny. I used to watch him when I was little,” Chapelle says in the bit. “And we’re watching gPepé Le Pew, and… Good god, what kind of fucking rapist is this guy? Take it easy, Pepe!'”

In the bit, Chapelle’s nephew responds to Le Pew by taking a terrible lesson from the skunk — sometimes you just have to “take” what you want from women. That’s the exact reason many of today’s parents don’t want him in their children’s movies.

Despite his prodigious basketball mind and his role as an analyst at TNT, Draymond Green was skeptical about how good LaMelo Ball really was until his mother convinced him. Mary Babers-Green texted her son repeatedly to try to convince him that Ball was the real deal, but partially because of his commitment to his rookie, James Wiseman, and his feeling that Ball’s stats were empty, Green denied it.

But Green, as he said during a cameo on ESPN’s First Take, committed to watching him more often, and eventually came around:

“My mom would call me earlier in the year [and say], ‘LaMelo is good.’ And I’m like, “Ah, ma. He’s putting up stats but a lot of people put up stats. I’m not sure I believe the stats.’ I hadn’t really watched him play.

“And as I’ve watched him play … my goodness. I texted my mom not long ago. I said, ‘Mom. You were right. LaMelo is problem.’ I love his game. He’s super fast. I had no clue he’s fast and downhill like that.

Still, Green believes in Wiseman just as much, if not more.

“I’m riding with mine ’til the death. I gotta roll with James,” Green said. “And I think as James gets back out there over the course of the next half of the season, he’ll get back to the top of that rookie ladder like he was at the beginning.”

Because he’s played so many more minutes, been massively productive, and is leading Charlotte to wins, Ball is the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year, but getting the stamp of approval from a brilliant player like Green is big, even if Green is still pining for his young big man.

After helping Disney+ rocket to success as its flagship title, The Mandalorian has pulled off yet another impressive feat by scoring three nominations for the 2021 American Society of Cinematographers Awards. Despite being a Star Wars series about a helmeted bounty hunter and his adorable puppet child, the show has joined the esteemed ranks of films like Mank, Nomadland, News of the World, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

With its groundbreaking StageCraft technology that allowed filmmakers to change locations on the fly, The Mandalorian has been a technological feat that’s also proven to be a godsend for productions like Thor: Love and Thunder, which were looking for solutions to filming under new COVID restrictions. The show’s tech was clearly impressive enough for the ACS, which nominated three episodes of The Mandalorian: Chapter 1, the series premiere; Chapter 13, the introduction of Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano; and Chapter 15, which featured a fan-favorite performance from Bill Burr as a morally conflicted ex-stormtrooper.

You can see the full list of 2021 nominees below via the American Society of Cinematographers:

Feature Film

• Erik Messerschmidt, ASC for Mank
• Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC for The Trial of the Chicago 7
• Joshua James Richards for Nomadland
• Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC for Cherry
• Dariusz Wolski, ASC for News of the World

Spotlight

• Katelin Arizmendi for Swallow
• Aurélien Marra for Two of Us
• Andrey Naydenov for Dear Comrades!

Documentary

• Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw for The Truffle Hunters
• Victor Kossakovsky and Egil Håskjold Larsen for Gunda
• Gianfranco Rosi for Notturno

Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television

• Martin Ahlgren, ASC for The Plot Against America, “Part 6”
• Anette Haellmigk for The Great, “The Great”
• Pete Konczal for Fargo, “The Birthplace of Civilization”
• Steven Meizler for The Queen’s Gambit, “End Game”
• Gregory Middleton, ASC, CSC for Watchmen, “This Extraordinary Being”

Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Commercial

• Marshall Adams, ASC for Better Call Saul, “Bagman”
• Carlos Catalán for Killing Eve, “Meetings Have Biscuits”
• François Dagenais, CSC for Project Blue Book, “Area 51”
• Jon Joffin, ASC for Motherland: Fort Salem, “Up is Down”
• Kim Miles, ASC, CSC, MySC for Project Blue Book, “Operation Mainbrace”

Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Non-Commercial

• David Franco for Perry Mason, “Chapter 2”
• Ken Glassing for Lucifer, “It Never Ends Well for the Chicken”
• Adriano Goldman, ASC, ABC, BSC for The Crown, “Fairytale”
• David Greene, ASC, CSC for Impulse, “The Moroi”
• David Mullen, ASC for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “It’s Comedy or Cabbage”
• Fabian Wagner, ASC, BSC for The Crown, “Imbroglio”

Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series

• Ava Berkofsky for Insecure, “Lowkey Lost”
• Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS for The Mandalorian, “Chapter 1: The Mandalorian”
• Baz Idoine for The Mandalorian, “Chapter 13: The Jedi”
• Matthew Jensen, ASC for The Mandalorian, “Chapter 15: The Believer”
• Jas Shelton for Homecoming, “Giant”

(Via American Society of Cinematographers)

One of the biggest Oscar snubs in recent memory was Florence Pugh not getting nominated for her performance in Midsommar. I’m still mad about this. She should have been nominated for the panic attack scene alone, where the women of the Swedish commune surround her and mimic her wailing in collective grief. Heck, nominate them all.

On her Instagram, Pugh shared her memory of shooting the memorable scene. “I’ve been waiting for a long time to post this picture. I knew when I took it that I had captured a special moment/day between all of us,” she wrote. “This was THE scene. The scene which, all who were included knew exactly how many days there were until we shot it.” The Little Women star complimented Midsommar director Ari Aster for writing “exactly what we needed to do. We needed to grieve within under a minute.” She continued:

“I remember the first take being so long, much longer than is displayed in the film that you all watched. When Ari said cut, we all clung on to each other’s arms and dug our nails into each other’s palms and wept. Sobbed. Heaved. I remember it being really hard to stop.”

Pugh, who said that she has a hard time crying on camera (you wouldn’t know it watching the movie), took this photo “because I knew I probably wouldn’t see all these woman like this again. Even more worryingly, I may never work like this or see these women again.” But she’s thankful for the “beautiful, hard, proud hours” she spent with them.

Since time immemorial, TV shows and movies have often included scenes that depict a main character’s parent(s) showing (usually embarrassing) childhood photos of the character to their romantic interest or friend. Well, Phoebe Bridgers’ mother has just done that, except instead of a friend/lover, she showed Bridgers’ old photos to the entire internet.

Variety ran an adorable feature today, for which Jamie Bridgers, real estate agent/stand-up comic/Phoebe’s mom, shared some photos of Phoebe growing up and told the stories behind them. The photos span Phoebe’s teenage years and are mostly of her playing music and in the various bands she was a part of growing up.

Phoebe seemed playfully mortified by the feature, as she shared it on Twitter and wrote simply, “oh no.”

The gallery and Jamie’s captions offer some insight to what Phoebe was like growing up. She notes in one caption, “That’s an Amoeba [record store] shirt she’s wearing — don’t think for a second it was chosen casually.” She later wrote of another photo, “She’s wearing a Grateful Dead shirt — also very intentional.”

In a blurb accompanying a photo of Phoebe at her high school graduation, Jamie painted her daughter as somebody who has long had ambition: “I thought it was my job to make sure she furthered her education so I encouraged Phoebe to apply to Berklee School Of Music. She got in, but she said it would be such a waste of money — she said, ‘Almost all of the people I admire who have gone there dropped out because they started doing music, and I just wanna skip that part.’ I just didn’t want her to be aimless — and she wasn’t, not even for a second.”

Check out the full feature here.

It’s been over a year since the first music festival canceled in 2020, marking the beginning to the months-long shut down of the live music industry. But with the vaccine roll out ramping up, festivals are confident that they’ll be able to return by the fall. Life Is Beautiful is the latest to announce their 2021 lineup, and they’ve book some big-name acts like Billie Eilish, Tame Impala, ASAP Rocky, and many more.

The downtown Las Vegas festival, which aims to take place the weekend of September 17, unveiled more than 60 acts that have been booked. Along with Eilish, Tame Impala, and ASAP Rocky, the list includes notable musicians like Green Day, Haim, Young Thug, St. Vincent, 6lack, Modest Mouse, Ludacris, Don Toliver, Lany, Brittany Howard, Earthgang, Purity Ring, Ashnikko, Shaed, Trevor Daniel, Still Woozy, Noah Cyrus, Yaeji, Remi Wolf, and Jamila Woods.

The festival’s 2021 lineup differs from their 2019 event, excluding acts like Eilish, and that’s intentional. Life Is Beautiful partner Justin Weniger described what they had in mind while booking the festival. “When curating the lineup for Life is Beautiful this year, we challenged ourselves to stay grounded in the realities of the year that we just lived,” he said. “The way we discover artists changed, the places we listened to music evolved, and the meaning of music deepened as we listened in new ways. This year’s lineup isn’t our 2019 lineup in 2021. It’s our 2021 lineup, and celebrates the artists, both established and emerging, who were the shining lights during our darkest days.”

Echoing Weniger’s statement, Festival Director Lauren DelFrago said that safety is still their top priority: “We have always put the health, safety, and security of our community first. As we prepare to produce the 2021 festival, we feel a heightened sense of responsibility to our staff, partners, performers, and attendees, and continue to work closely with local and state officials to ensure a safe return to live music.”

See the list of artists slated to perform at Life Is Beautiful 2021 above.

Tickets to Life Is Beautiful go on sale 3/12 at 10 am PST. Get them here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Few celebrity interviews have drawn as much worldwide attention as Oprah’s recent sit-down with Harry and Meghan, which should come as no surprise. These people have a level of worldwide recognition and fame that far surpasses most world leaders and even most entertainers.

With fame comes critics, with criticism comes controversy, and with controversy comes conversations among the masses. And in those conversations, people often feel free to say things to or about famous people that they wouldn’t say to or about someone they know in real life. It’s easy to dehumanize celebrities who seem so different from the average person, and since they’re never going to see what we say, it doesn’t really matter anyway, right?

The problem is that others—people we actually care about—do see what we say. And it does matter to them.

Social media is currently filled with reactions to Meghan Markle sharing how the abusive British tabloids and lack of support she had from the palace led to her having suicidal thoughts. While some celebrate her courage in speaking out, some have called her a “drama queen.” Some say she’s an attention-seeking narcissist. Some scoff at her claims, questioning how she could be suffering so much when she literally lived in a palace with a handsome prince, wanting for nothing.

Meghan will never see the vast majority of those comments. But other people who struggle with suicidal thoughts will. People who live economically privileged lives and those who don’t. People who have good marriages and those who don’t. If we call Meghan Markle a drama queen for sharing that she felt suicidal, what people who also struggle with those thoughts will see is that we can’t be counted on for support. They’ll see that we might judge and dismiss their feelings as undeserved at best or manufactured at worse. They’ll see that we can’t be trusted.

That doesn’t just apply to Meghan Markle and suicidal thoughts. People play fast and loose with celebrity commentary all the time, and when our comments involve things like mental health or other struggles that are common to the general population, what we say matters because it can impact people we truly care about.

Here are three questions we need to ask ourselves before we comment critically about a famous person.

1) Am I criticizing them for something they did/said, or something they’re going through?

There’s a big difference between calling out a problematic behavior or a harmful statement someone has made and criticizing someone for sharing a personal experience. When we have a dislike for someone famous, that line can get blurred, but it’s an important distinction.

When we criticize a famous person for something they’re going through—a mental health crisis, struggles with addiction, abuse, or loss—we’re making a judgment about something we aren’t in a position to judge. And our judgment has the potential to hurt everyone who’s going through something similar.

2) Is the thing they’re talking about a common struggle?

People often dismiss celebrity struggles because they seem to “have it all” and live above everything. But they don’t.

Famous people are people. Their life may look different than ours in many ways, but they are human beings first, prone to the same mental and emotional experiences as everyone else.

Mental health issues, addiction, racism, sexism, loss, grief, and other struggles don’t discriminate by class. Fame and privilege of wealth or status don’t shield people from any of those issues, and sometimes the reality of celebrity can make some of those issues worse.

Look at Anthony Bourdain, for example. He had plenty of money and the coolest job in the world, traveling the globe and exploring delicious food everywhere he went. But he died by suicide. And he’s certainly not alone.

If there’s one thing that connects us all, it’s these common human experiences that anyone—rich or poor, famous or not—can find themselves in.

3) If I have a loved one who has experienced the same or a similar struggle, how would they feel if I directed this comment to them?

When a loved one who struggles with suicidal thoughts sees us criticizing someone else’s struggles with suicidal thoughts, what does that say to them? Will they think of us as a safe, supportive person they can go to? Or will they be afraid we will dismiss their feelings as being “overly dramatic”?

When a loved one who has experienced racism sees us rolling our eyes at a famous person’s experiences with racism, what does it say to them? Will they see us as someone who has their back?

When a loved one who has found themselves in an abusive situation sees us tell a famous person, “What did you expect? You knew what you were getting into,” will they see us as a safe person to talk to?

Most of those struggles are endured silently, but they are definitely there and far more common than people think. Our loved ones are listening to our words, whether we’re talking directly to them or commenting on a public social media page. Rethinking the way we talk about these things can save a lot of hurt feelings and avoid damaging our own relationships. If it’s not something we’d say to or about someone we love, we’re probably better off not saying it at all.

John Oliver is known for his biting political commentary and smart comedy, but some of his best takes have emerged in casual conversation.

In February of 2018, Oliver joined Stephen Colbert on The Late Show and discussed the pending nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who were married a few months later. When asked if he was excited about the wedding, Oliver gave a candid response that turned out to be remarkably prescient.

First, he said that he was not, in fact, excited about the wedding. Surprised, Colbert pointed out that Harry was marrying an American and Oliver had married an American, and asked if he had any advice for Harry. Instead, Oliver spoke of his sympathy for Meghan Markle.

“I would not blame her if she pulled out of this at the last minute,” he said. “I don’t think you need to have just seen the pilot episode of ‘The Crown’ to get a basic sense she might be marrying into a family that could cause her some emotional complications.”

Colbert said, “But this generation seems like nice people, right? They’re all nice now, right?”

“Yyyyyeah,” Oliver responded. “I mean, they’re an emotionally stunted group of fundamentally flawed people doing a silly pseudo-job. That’s what she’s marrying into. So I hope she likes it. It’s going to be weird for her.”

“I would not marry into the Royal Family,” he added. “I’m a commoner, I would not be welcome—especially after what I’ve just said,” he laughed.

Colbert and Oliver chatted joked about how Oliver’s potential knighthood was now off the table, then Oliver shared his thoughts on the displays of reverence people show to the crown.

“It’s just weird to kneel in front of another adult. It’s odd. I know that historically you read and you see people kneeling down and kissing the ring, but it’s a bit strange. It’s an odd thing to still have.”

Oliver’s statements echo what many people feel about the monarchy—that it’s an archaic institution that has outlived whatever relevance and usefulness it may have once had. Then again, the royal tradition is a powerful force in the U.K. and Queen Elizabeth is genuinely beloved—even by Harry and Meghan who are making headlines for sharing the issues they’ve had with the Royal Family as an institution (in addition to specific members they refused to name). Some love the pomp and the pagaentry and are willing to turn a blind eye to the problematic history that goes along with it.

It will be interesting to see what changes if and when Charles—who does not carry the “beloved” mantle of his mother—ascends to the throne. Will people lose some of the love and respect they have for the crown now? Will generations who have only known Queen Elizabeth as monarch view the entire institution differently in her absence? Naturally, the changing of a monarch has always been a transition, but society has changed a lot since 1953, when Elizabeth became queen. People may not be as forgiving of the faults of the Royal Family without its sweet, stalwart matriarch at the helm.

Since John Oliver nailed the Meghan Markle situation so accurately, perhaps his view of the monarchy will also be seen as a self-evident truth someday. Guess we’ll see.