John Oliver: Of Course Trump Prefers Racist ‘Gone With the Wind’ Over ‘Parasite’

Zack Sharf
·3 min read

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John Oliver isn’t letting Donald Trump off the hook for bashing the history-making “Parasite” Oscar wins. During a February 20 rally in Colorado, Trump mocked the Academy for giving its biggest prize to Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean drama. “How bad were the Academy Awards this year?” Trump asked his supporters. “Did you see it? The winner is… a movie from South Korea! What the hell was that all about? We got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that, they give him best movie of the year? Was it good? I don’t know. Let’s get ‘Gone With the Wind.’ Can we get ‘Gone With the Wind’ back, please?”

The president preferring “Gone With the Wind” over “Parasite” is hardly a surprise, at least that’s what Oliver argued at the beginning of the February 23 episode of his HBO late night talk show “Last Week Tonight.” According to the host, Victor Fleming’s 1939 epic hits close to home for Trump because both the film and the president are racist and have a history of mistreating women.

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“Of course Trump likes ‘Gone With the Wind!'” Oliver told viewers. “He likes his movies like he likes his rallies: excruciatingly long, incredibly racist and centered around a rich creep who leaves a woman crying in a mansion.”

Oliver also appeared baffled that Trump decided to weigh in on the Academy Awards at a rally well over a week after they aired. “Parasite” wasn’t the only target during Trump’s rally speech, as the president also took aim at Brad Pitt. The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star used his speech while accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to criticize the Senate for not letting Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton to testify during the impeachment trial. Trump said at the rally he was “never a fan” of Pitt, adding, “He got up and said little wise-guy statements. He’s a little wiseguy.”

Neon, the distributor behind “Parasite’s” U.S. release (nearly $50 million at the domestic box office, which makes it one of the top 5 biggest foreign-language releases in history, unadjusted for inflation), reacted to Trump’s “Parasite” dig by posting the following caption on social media: “Understandable, he can’t read.”

John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” is currently in its seventh season on HBO. New episodes air Sunday nights at 11pm ET.

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