John Oliver tells ‘America’s most laminated prince’ Jared Kushner to ‘get f*****’ over NBA protests response
President’s son-in-law called the anti-racism action a ‘night off from work’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.John Oliver lambasted Jared Kushner’s response to the NBA protests, after the president’s son-in-law referred to the anti-racism action as “a night off from work”.
Kushner, a senior White House adviser, made the comments last week on CNBC, after NBA players boycotted the playoffs for three days following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the host played a clip of Kushner stating: “I think that the NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they’re able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially. So they have that luxury, which is great.”
Oliver reacted by addressing Kushner, telling him: “OK, first, get f*****, Jared, you Welcome to Marwen reject.” (Welcome to Marwen is a 2018 film starring Steve Carell in which much of the action is told through animated dolls.)
The presenter then pointed out that the NBA players were “not taking a night off from work”, adding: “The emotional toll of being Black in America, combined with the pressure to perform at an elite level during a global pandemic is, I’m guessing, pretty taxing, so by not playing, they’re not exactly taking a spa day.
“And if NBA players are too rich to take meaningful action, who exactly is in the right tax bracket to have their protest approved by America’s most laminated prince?”
Oliver also told Kushner he “might want to strap in”, because more anti-racism action is sure to follow in the future.
The playoffs resumed on Saturday after a three-day protest. The NBA and the players’ union reached an agreement including plans to use some of the league’s arenas as polling sites during the November election.