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How Emmett Till’s murder inspired Rod Serling to create the original ‘Twilight Zone’ series

The original “Twilight Zone” series was unlike anything anyone had ever seen on television. Airing from 1959 to 1964, the sci-fi/horror show frequently referenced in popular culture and cited as one of the best TV shows of all time was the brainchild of Rod Serling.

Serling’s inspiration for the show wasn’t rooted in science fiction or cinematic horror, but rather in the dark reality of American racism

In 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago, was brutally murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi. Till had been accused of flirting with a white woman in a store, and the woman’s husband and his half-brother kidnapped, mutilated and lynched Till for his “crime.” The two men were arrested and a trial was held, but the all-white, all-male jury acquitted the two men of all charges after less than an hour’s deliberations.


Till’s mother courageously fought for Emmett’s story to be told, and she insisted his funeral be open-casket so the world could see what those men had done to her son. Photographs from the funeral made national news and galvanized people across the country, fanning the early sparks of the Civil Rights Movement.

Serling, who was 30 years old at the time, watched Till’s story play out in the news. A rising star in the television world, Serling set out to write a teleplay that addressed the racism at the heart of Till’s murder. In an interview with Mike Wallace, Serling explained how he’d written a show sponsored by U.S. Steel, and by the time the censors were finished with it, the script was a “lukewarm, vitiated, emasculated” version of what he’d originally created. Every reference to Black or white, the South and anything that even slightly alluded to the South was changed or removed. (Serling describes the censors removing Coca-Cola bottles from a scene because they might have too much of a Southern connotation.)

“It bore no relationship at all to what we had purported to say initially,” he told Wallace.

Serling fought back, but ultimately the money holds the power. He felt forced to accept it, though he voiced his feelings about censorship of challenging themes.

“I think it’s criminal that we’re not permitted to make dramatic note of social evils as they exist, of controversial themes as they are inherent in our society,” he told Wallace. “I think it’s ridiculous that drama, which by its very nature should make a comment on those things that affect our daily lives, and is in the position, at least in terms of television drama, to take a stand.”

As explained in Smithsonian magazine, station owners and advertising agencies catered to white audiences and were fearful of losing money if something offended them. Serling would later say, “From experience, I can tell you that drama, at least in television, must walk tiptoe and in agony lest it offend some cereal buyer from a given state below the Mason-Dixon.”

Serling tried again to frame a show episode around Emmett Till’s story, but set it as a lynching in the Southwest. That script also got changed, set back 100 years and erasing all mention of Till and race. But Serling did manage to get a message about “the ugly picture of prejudice and violence” conveyed in the show’s closing monologue.

Ultimately, Serling realized that tackling issues like racism and prejudice head-on was not going to work within the power structure of television, so he had to get creative. A show like “The Twilight Zone” would allow for social issues to be addressed through metaphor and allegory. Serling expressed the hopeful belief that people can have their eyes opened to their own inner biases through indirect stories that tap into such themes.

In an interview for the Library of Congress, Serling explained:

“You may have to tell them a story of prejudice in parable form, in which they may step aside as third persons and cluck and say, ‘Tsk tsk tsk, how awful we treat our minority groups,’ but at least they know that it’s an evil, and they will recognize it as such, and by osmosis or some incredible process, will somewhere along the line be faced with a situation in which they too may have to exorcise their prejudice and be conscious of it as an evil. Now on “Twilight Zone,” for example, done during just as timorous a time as any other time, we made a comment on prejudice, on conformity, on intolerance, on censorship. But it’s easy to do it when you’re talking about ‘Buck Rogers isn’t allowed to write his memoirs in the way he wants to write them, so he puts on his backpack, his rocket-pack, and he zooms over to the publisher.’ And they applaud and laugh and think, ‘How exciting and interesting.’ Now, it may well be that the inner message may never get through, but I think peripherally it does get through.”

Though he was never able to bring Emmett Till’s story to the screen in the way he wanted to, Serling did manage to push storytelling in a way that—hopefully—helped peel away layers of prejudice that veil people from the truth about themselves.

As he said, “The writer’s role is to menace the public’s conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and he must focus on the issues of his time.”

Serling did menace people’s consciences and focus on the issues of his time. He just did it through strange science fiction tales—and he did it well.

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Dad makes movie magic with his 5-year-old daughter by re-creating iconic film scenes in photos

Alex Zane and his 5-year-old daughter Matilda are bringing iconic movie scenes to life in a brand new way. The daddy daughter duo have posted dozens upon dozens of homemade photo re-creations of famous films, with Matilda in the starring role. Sometimes her giant stuffed fox makes a cameo appearance as well.

Their Instagram page, Tot for Tot Remakes, has become quite the viral sensation and is getting a lot of love online, thanks in no small part to the incredible attention to detail put into every image.

Like many parents, Alex was forced to think of creative ways to provide entertainment for his family during the early days of the pandemic, including an indoor (toy) car wash. When Matilda suddenly jumped on top of the Cozy Coupe, Alex immediately had a vision of Michael J. Fox in “Teen Wolf” and then instructed her on how to perform air guitar before snapping a photo.

Alex was “quick to admit” he’s not a professional photographer in his interview with TODAY. But luckily, this lawyer-slash-father-slash-movie-nerd had a friend who was. He sent the snapshot to Andrew Kelly, who sprinkled enough digital wizardry to make this happen:

Voila! Toddler Wolf. And thus, Tot for Tot Remakes was born. Trust me, it only gets more intricate from here.


In an exclusive interview with Movie Metropolis, Alex broke down what goes into the process. Turns out there’s just as much going on behind the scenes in the re-creation as there was in the original film.

First, there’s the movie selection, which a) can be taken in three quick photographs, lest the 5-year-old star loses her focus and need to be “bribed back to set,” and b) needs to be confined to very simple actions like sleeping, being dead, screaming, standing or sitting still. Because, again, 5-year-old.

When it comes to budgeting, Alex told TODAY that they spend $5 or less on any props. In this “Wizard of Oz” photo, for instance, the dress is made out of napkins. Talk about resourcefulness.

Then, there’s actually taking the photos, which hopefully are “decent and funny enough” to get Kelly’s seal of approval. Kelly will then add backgrounds, effects and all those magical photo editing things, and send them back to Alex to post for all the internet to enjoy.

That might sound simple enough, but Alex told People it consists of “probably 350 texts back and forth for each recreation.” The things we do for our art!

For Alex, this passion project not only became a special bonding opportunity with his daughter, it also helped him remember “how enjoyable life can be when you apply some time and creativity to anything.” He hopes that their posts might offer a “distraction for a few people to help during these difficult times.”

Alex added that the two favorites so far have been “The Shining” and “Bridesmaids,” the latter especially because Matilda loved the dress and wore it for two days straight.

When I say Alex and Matilda have re-created a ton of movies, I am not exaggerating. Listing titles such as “E.T.,” “Love Actually,” “Titanic,” “Star Wars,” “Free Willy,” “Lord of The Rings,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Great Gatsby” and “The Matrix” (twice!) doesn’t even scratch the surface.

I would have been very sad if Matilda hadn’t attempted “Matilda,” but the Zanes did not disappoint.

Who knows what kind of movie magic Alex and Matilda will create next. For sure they’ll be having fun while doing it.

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Bradley Cooper Got Mad At An Unnamed Director Who Made Fun Of Him For Having So Many Oscar Nominations: ‘Go F*ck Yourself’

Bradley Cooper’s doing pretty well for himself. He’s one of the most powerful actors and filmmakers in Hollywood. He appeared in two acclaimed films last awards season, both of which were nominated for Best Picture. And he can pull off playing older Leonard Bernstein. He’s doing so well that one director, he says, made fun of him for having too many Oscar nominations.

As per IndieWire, Cooper went on the podcast SmartLess, where he opened up about being insulted by a filmmaker he wouldn’t name at a party held during A Star is Born’s epic awards season run back in 2018. Back then he only had seven nominations. Since then he’s gained two more, for producing Joker and Nightmare Alley. He was standing with an actress, who at the time had at least three nominations. The director joked, “‘What world are we living in where you have seven nominations and she’s only got three?’”

Cooper didn’t think it was that funny. “I’m like, ‘Bro, why are you such an a*shole.’ I would never f*cking forget that. Go f*ck yourself.”

Still, this encounter has nothing on the time in 2019 that he was almost mugged in the NYC subway, an incident that ended with him actually chasing his would-be-assailant up the staircase, trying to get their picture. So maybe don’t mess with Bradley Cooper.

(Via IndieWire)

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All The Best New Music From This Week That You Need To Hear

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Drake surprise the world with a new album and Eminem draw similarities between himself and Elvis Presley. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.

Drake — “Falling Back”

Last week, Drake delivered a double surprise: The first was the album Honestly, Nevermind and the second was the album’s sound, which is heavily dance-inspired. He also dropped a video for “Falling Back,” which itself also had an unexpected twist: Drake got married, but it was to 23 women at once.

Eminem — “The King And I” Feat. CeeLo Green

It took a surprise, lane-changing release from Drake to overshadow Eminem, but Em still delivered on “The King And I,” his new song from the Elvis biopic soundtrack. The tune contains a lot of references to Presley, both musically and lyrically, like when Eminem raps, “Now I’m about to explain to you all the parallels / Between Elvis and me, myself / It seem obvious: one, he’s pale as me / Second, we both been hailed as kings.”

Chance The Rapper — “The Highs And The Lows” Feat. Joey Badass

Over the past few months, Chance The Rapper has been gradually making his way back into the spotlight with new music. He’s dropped new songs here and there since March, and his latest came last week, with “The Highs And The Lows,” which sees him and Joey Badass rapping over a slow and soulful instrumental.

Bartees Strange — “Wretched”

Not to beat a dead horse with the Drake-unexpectedly-owning-the-week narrative, but Bartees Strange still deserved some attention on Friday for his new album, Farm To Table. He started the week by sharing “Wretched,” an anthemic song propelled by soaring guitar work.

Chloe — “Surprise”

Last week, Chloe dropped “Surprise” because Beyonce said so: Beyonce, Chloe’s mentor and label head, apparently decided the song would be Chloe’s next release. Bey knows how to pick ’em, as “Surprise” excels with it’s slow and sultry energy.

FKA Twigs — “Killer”

Twigs started her 2022 by dropping Caprisongs in January, but she’s already moving forward with a new era. Last week brought “Killer,” her first new song since the aforementioned mixtape, and it sees Twigs flexing her skills in alternative pop territory.

Diddy and Bryson Tiller — “Gotta Move On”

Diddy keeps an eye on his music, but that’s been about all recently, as last week’s Bryson Tiller collaboration “Gotta Move On” was his first new song in five years. Regardless of the wait, it’s always good to hear from Diddy, especially on a song like this, which balances upbeat instrumental with more somber lyrical material.

Beabadoobee — “10:36”

In about a month, we can take a trip to Beatopia, the new album from UK favorite Beabadoobee. She offered another preview of the album last week with “10:36,” of which Uproxx’s Adrian Spinelli says, “A technicolor synthpop beat lays the backbone for cascading keys and guitar.”

Rico Nasty — “Black Punk”

In late May, Nasty seemed to be announcing something for June 17, with many speculating it was a new album. That didn’t come to pass, but the day wasn’t a total wash, though, as Nasty offered “Black Punk,” which sees nasty continuing in her energetic, riotous lane to great effect.

Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Veeze — “U-Digg”

Every now and then, a rapper will do the unthinkable: forego modesty in favor of flaunting their wealth and how much they enjoy their affluence. Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, and Veeze do that on “U-Digg” and its video. Jokes aside, the aggressive beat is the perfect stage for the three to excel and show why they’re able to flash stacks so fat.

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

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Kim Kardashian Shares A Sweet Tribute To Kanye West For Father’s Day

There are at least one or two things about Kanye West that Kim Kardashian does not appreciate, based on the fact the two are in the midst of a divorce. She even apologized to her family recently, saying, “I do recognize the impact that my relationship has had on my family and I’ve never had the opportunity to just say: I’m sorry, guys.”

Through it all, though, Kardashian seems pretty pleased with how good of a dad West has been to their children. She even took some time on Father’s Day yesterday to express that, despite the current friction between them.

On her Instagram Story yesterday, Kardashian shared a couple of photos of West with their children, writing on the first of them, “Thank you for being the best dad to our babies and loving them the way you do! Happy Father’s Day Ye.”

Kim Kardashian Kanye West Father's Day
@kimkardashian/Instagram
Kim Kardashian Kanye West Father's Day
@kimkardashian/Instagram

A recent episode of The Kardashians had a prime example of West’s enthusiasm for fatherhood, as he went through the trouble of taking his kids to school in a fire truck to give them a memorable moment. Ye said, “I think sometimes people are kinda bashful to be super dads. Everybody wants to be a cool dad and sometimes you just gotta wear the fire hat. Sometime you gotta wear the Easter bunny costume.”

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Here Is The Full TV Schedule For The 2022 Las Vegas NBA Summer League

The 2021-22 season just concluded with the Warriors winning the NBA Finals, and the 2022-23 league calendar begins shortly, as Thursday brings about the NBA Draft, followed by free agency starting a week later on June 30, and just a week after that Summer League tips off in Las Vegas.

The annual summer showcase for draftees, young players, and veterans trying to land camp invites and roster spots alike has become a major draw for fans, as what was once a sparsely filled arena featuring mostly league personnel now regularly fills up with 10,000-plus fans at UNLV. As has been the case for a few years now, all 30 teams are represented at Las Vegas Summer League, and on Monday the NBA revealed the complete schedule of games for the first week of action, with the first four games for every team being released.

As has become tradition, the first night of games will feature two of the top picks in the draft going at it, as the Rockets and Magic will square off in the opener in primetime on ESPN. We’ll also get Rockets-Thunder and Magic-Kings on Saturday and Magic-Thunder on Monday when the top two picks will go head-to-head for the first time.

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and NBATV will carry every game throughout the event, and the full schedule can be found below.

Thursday, July 7

Houston vs. Orlando (10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Portland vs. Detroit (Midnight ET, ESPN)

Friday, July 8

Dallas vs. Chicago (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
San Antonio vs. Cleveland (5:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Charlotte vs. Indiana (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Brooklyn vs. Milwaukee (7:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Golden State vs. New York (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Denver vs. Minnesota (9:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Phoenix vs. L.A. Lakers (10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Saturday, July 9

Toronto vs. Philadelphia (3:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Orlando vs. Sacramento (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Boston vs. Miami (5:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Detroit vs. Washington (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Atlanta vs. Utah (7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
OKC vs. Houston (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
LA Clippers vs. Memphis (9:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
New Orleans vs. Portland (10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Sunday, July 10

Indiana vs. Sacramento (3:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Philadelphia vs. Brooklyn (3:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Chicago vs. New York (5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Washington vs. Phoenix (5:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Denver vs. Cleveland (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Golden State vs. San Antonio (7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Minnesota vs. Memphis (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Charlotte vs. L.A. Lakers (9:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)

Monday, July 11

New Orleans vs. Atlanta (6:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Houston vs. San Antonio (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Milwaukee vs. Boston (8:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Orlando vs. OKC (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Dallas vs. Utah (10:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
New York vs. Portland (11:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Tuesday, July 12

Chicago vs. Toronto (5:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Memphis vs. Brooklyn (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Atlanta vs. Miami (7:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Boston vs. Golden State (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Detroit vs. Indiana (9:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Phoenix vs. Dallas (10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
L.A. Lakers vs. LA Clippers (11:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)

Wednesday, July 13

Minnesota vs. Milwaukee (4:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Cleveland vs. Charlotte (5:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Washington vs. New Orleans (6:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Toronto vs. Utah (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Sacramento vs. OKC (8:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Miami vs. Philadelphia (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Denver vs. LA Clippers (10:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)

Thursday, July 14

Atlanta vs. San Antonio (3:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Memphis vs. Boston (3:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Chicago vs. Charlotte (5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Cleveland vs. Detroit (5:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Dallas vs. Milwaukee (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
New York vs. Orlando (7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Brooklyn vs. Minnesota (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Portland vs. Houston (9:30 p.m. ET, NBATV)

Friday, July 15

LA Clippers vs. Utah (5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Philadelphia vs. Denver (6:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
OKC vs. Golden State (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Sacramento vs. Phoenix (8:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
Indiana vs. Washington (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Miami vs. Toronto (10:00 p.m. ET, NBATV)
L.A. Lakers vs. New Orleans (11:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

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A GOP Candidate Released An Absolutely Bonkers Campaign Video About ‘Hunting’ Other Republicans

This weekend saw some ugly in-fighting amongst the Republican Party. At a GOP conference in Texas, Ted Cruz was heckled by a young conservative, while Dan Crenshaw and his staff were violently attacked. But a Senate candidate took it way, way further.

In a deranged new ad, Eric Greitens — a former Navy SEAL and ex-governor of Missouri, who resigned in disgrace — declares, with a big shotgun in his hands that he’s “going RINO hunting.” RINO, of course, means Republican In Name Only, designated for those who don’t pay absolute fealty to the party line. “The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice.”

The ad then shows Greitens and a gang of men in tactical gear as they break into a house, throw a smoke bomb, and enter, ready to…do whatever it is they’ll do with those weapons. “Join the MAGA crew,” Greitens says as he stands, sans mask, in a teargas-filled living room. “Get a RINO hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limt, and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.”

Greitens is running for the Missouri Senate seat soon to be vacated by Roy Blunt. Should Greitens win, he’ll serve alongside fellow MAGA extremist Josh Hawley. Greitens served only a year-and-a-half as governor of the state after being indicted on various felony charges and being accused of sexual assault.

His ad is a bizarre mixture of the terrifying and ridiculous, and the responses included both horror and perplexity, with some making mordant jokes and others advising people report it to various authorities.

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Maya Hawke Hilariously Revisits A Classic Rihanna And Ethan Hawke Moment For Father’s Day

Father’s Day was yesterday, meaning social media was flooded with tributes to dads everywhere. One of the funniest of them came from Stranger Things star and musician Maya Hawke, whose father is of course Ethan Hawke.

An Instagram post shared yesterday reads, “Happy Father’s Day specifically to Ethan Hawke making his son switch seats with him so he could get at Rihanna.” Indeed, the post shows two photos of Rihanna and Ethan sitting courtside at the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, one with his son Levon seated between them and another with Ethan next to Rihanna. Maya shared that post on her Instagram story and let the image do the talking, adding simply, “Happy Father’s Day dad”

Maya Hawke Instagram Ethan Rihanna
@maya_hawke/Instagram

Ethan actually addressed this moment previously: In 2019, he re-shared a similar tweet featuring the same two photos and wrote, “Yes, my son and I remember this GREAT night. His version is a little different than mine.”

As for the topic of the depicted conversation, it’s possible Rihanna and Hawke were chatting about Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, the 2017 movie in which they both starred; The photos were taken on February 15, 2015 and the two joined the cast of the film later that year, Rihanna in October and Hawke in December.

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Jaden Ivey Seems Excited About Possibly Going To The Kings: ‘It Wouldn’t Be The Worst Option’

Among mainstream consensus, this 2022 NBA Draft class seems to tout a clear top three of Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero. For many, Jaden Ivey is often heralded as the No. 4 prospect in this class, with a sizable gap to the next tier of players.

Selecting fourth overall this year is the Sacramento Kings, who Ivey said he’s not been in contact with during the pre-draft process. The speedy guard did not follow up that information with the most resounding of reviews as it pertains to potentially landing in Sacramento either.

“I’m kind of just letting this process handle itself,” Ivey said. “If I got drafted there, it wouldn’t be the worst option.”

That is, uh, certainly a quote. Ivey can obviously wish to play for wherever he wants; the lack of a ringing endorsement to play for a team holding a top-five pick is simply hilarious candidness. We love honesty around these parts. The logical follow-up would be for Ivey to list the worst option he could envision here.

As for why he’s not spoken with the Kings, Ivey did not provide any singular reason.

“I never really made the decision on not talking to Sacramento,” he told reporters. “It just kinda happened.”

Sacramento has consistently been linked to Keegan Murray at No. 4, as well as possibly the trading the pick for an immediate upgrade instead. It appears as though both the Kings and Ivey are not destined to partner later this week, and Ivey’s most recent comments will undoubtedly further that speculation. That said, it wouldn’t be unheard of for the Kings to take Ivey even without a workout or much conversation, as they did just that with Davion Mitchell a year ago. We’ll find out on Thursday exactly what direction Sacramento goes in, but they can at least rest easy knowing they aren’t the worst option out there.

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A John Oliver Segment On The Rising Cost Of Rents Included A Delightful Reference To Dakota Johnson Lying About Her Love Of Limes

After a bit about wacko GOP candidates who believe in the “Big Lie” — and far nuttier matters — the bulk of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver concerned rapidly escalating rent in America, as well as other barriers to affordable housing. It’s a scary topic for the third of the nation that rents rather than owns, especially considering, as he pointed out, the median rent last month passed $2,000, up 15%. But he started things on a lighter note: making fun of Dakota Johnson’s just-for-show limes.

Oliver brought up a particular kind of celebrity video: the ones where famous people invite camera crews into their lavish homes, where viewers watch them “discover things that were clearly put there by stylists and occasionally call it out in a glorious passive-aggressive way.” One of them was the Cha Cha Real Smooth star and random wedding crasher, who, while showing off her kitchen, made sure to dwell on multiple piles of limes stacked on the counter in a most curious fashion.

“I love cooking. I cook a lot. And I bake a lot,” she says. Then she gestures to a bowl of limes sitting on a plate, also containing limes. “I love limes. I love them. They’re great. I love them so much and I love to present them like this.”

“She is so magnificently weird,” Oliver says, then brings up an interesting factoid: Johnson is actually allergic to limes. She herself addressed her fib in a subsequent interview. “It was hard to ignore them, so I just lied,” she said.

But that made Oliver even more skeptical. “She’s probably lying about that as well,” he cracked. “She’s pure chaos, she should be president.”

From there, Oliver delved deep into America’s housing crisis, dwelling on greedy landlords and assistance programs delivered more by profit than the need to help people.

“That is the core issue with rental housing in this country, though: People who think that investments deserve more respect than basic human needs, and then set up a system designed to ensure that some people just spiral downwards,” Oliver said. He then laid out the nation’s impossible system:

“They can’t move somewhere cheaper if nowhere cheaper exists; they can’t apply for federal assistance if there’s nowhere near enough; they can’t even use that assistance if no-one accepts it; and they can’t take their landlord to court if the court system is skewed against them; and they can’t depend on rental housing ever again if they’re evicted even just once. It’s a complete s*itshow.”

You can watch the segment in the video above.