John Oliver breaks down 'the single dumbest story' being pushed in the Philippines about Michael Jordan

On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Sunday, Oliver brought to light an absolutely insane story currently being passed around on Philippine social media involving a young Michael Jordan. Ahead of Monday’s presidential election, a push has been made to whitewash the brutal and corrupt legacy of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose son, Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos jr., is a frontrunner. Most of the false narratives revolve around how the family attained their fortune, which they got from defrauding the country. Then there’s the one about then President Marcos spending the holidays in Wilmington, North Carolina where he gave a hungry young Jordan bread in a park.

“On December 24th, 1969, the Marcos family was in Wilmington, North Carolina to celebrate the holidays,” Oliver said. “That actually tracks, because if you’re a billionaire from the other side of the world and you want to celebrate the holidays in America, there’s only one place that you’re going, and that’s Wilmington, North Carolina.”

As the story goes, Marcos was walking in a park and saw a skinny child begging for food. Marcos proceeded to give the child a whole box of Nutribun, then told the child, “Bring this with you, child, someday you will grow up to be someone important.” That child grew up to be Michael Jordan.

Oliver broke down the absurdity.

“To be clear, in this story, President Marcos was walking through a park holding bread, specifically Nutribun, a bread mainly sold in the Philippines, meaning Marcos flew to the United States with Nutribun because he was like, ‘What if we get to Wilmington, North Carolina, my favorite holiday destination, and they don’t have any bread there?’” Oliver said. “Then he went to the park and passed, like, ten other kids, thinking, ‘None of you are gonna grow up to be important so you’re not getting any of my park bread.’ Then he saw Michael Jordan and was like, ‘Wait, I’m pretty sure that you are gonna be important. So here, have this bread that I brought with me from the other side of the world.’ And then, that kid grew up to be Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player who ever lived.”

Oliver perfectly summed up the story, while at the same time taking a shot at Jordan’s acting career.

“That is the single dumbest story involving a young Michael Jordan I have ever heard,” Oliver said, “and I have seen Space Jam.”

Video Transcript

JOHN OLIVER: There's also this one suggesting that Marcos, at one point, gave bread to a young Michael Jordan. It seems to have originated as a joke but has since been passed around completely seriously.

KYLIE MAR: On "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" Sunday, Oliver broke down a hilarious fake story involving Michael Jordan that has been used as propaganda in the Philippine presidential election to whitewash the brutal and corrupt legacy of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. But the story is pretty hard to believe right from the start.

JOHN OLIVER: On December 24, 1969, the Marcos family was in Wilmington, North Carolina to celebrate the holidays. That actually tracks because if you're a billionaire from the other side of the world and you want to celebrate the holidays in America, there was only one place that you're going and that's Wilmington, North Carolina.

KYLIE MAR: As the story goes, Marcos was walking in a Park in Wilmington and gave a young Michael Jordan bread saying, "Bring this with you, child, someday you will grow up to be someone important." It's just one of a number of false narratives being pushed in support of Marcos's son, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., who is currently a frontrunner to win the presidency in Monday's election. But to hear Oliver tell it, the story is just plain weird.

JOHN OLIVER: In this story, President Marcos was walking through a park holding bread, specifically Nutribun, a bread mainly sold in the Philippines, meaning Marcos flew to the United States with Nutribun because he was like, what if we get to Wilmington, North Carolina, my favorite holiday destination, and they don't have any bread there?

KYLIE MAR: Oliver went on to imagine what that moment might have been like if it were real.

JOHN OLIVER: He went to the park and passed, like, 10 other kids thinking none of you are gonna grow up to be important, so you're not getting any of my park bread. Then he saw Michael Jordan and was like, wait, I'm pretty sure that you are gonna be important. So here, have this bread that I brought with me from the other side of the world.

KYLIE MAR: And Oliver summed up that story perfectly with a little swipe at Jordan's acting career.

JOHN OLIVER: That kid grew up to be Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player who ever lived. That is the single dumbest story involving a young Michael Jordan I have ever heard, and I have seen "Space Jam."