‘Last Week Tonight’ Enlists ‘Sesame Street’ to Warn About Lead Poisoning

On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver took on lead poisoning. The Flint, Mich., crisis has brought more attention to the issue than ever before, and now we’re learning that the problem is much more pervasive than we knew. Oliver hoped to make people care more, so he enlisted the help of his friends on Sesame Street.

Sesame Street had done a segment 20 years ago to educate people on the hazards of lead-based paint. Oliver walked onto a Sesame Street set to meet Rosita, Elmo, and Oscar the Grouch, and they all talked about getting people to care about the dangers of lead. Oscar even chimed in with some specific lead poisoning statistics.

Then, in true Sesame Street fashion, they all joined in song to help change minds, ending in a crescendo of, “Yes, first we all have to care.”

Last Week Tonight airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO

John Oliver takes on credit rating agencies:

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