John Oliver had a dream, that one day an American daytime soap opera would write a juicy role of a character with a ridiculously absurd name, and would invite him, the very straight-laced-named John William Oliver, to play the part. Well, my friends, that day is this summer. This all started back on a March episode of Last Week Tonight when Oliver pitched himself while paying tribute to sports commentator Stephen A. Smith’s bonkers recurring role on General Hospital. Then the storyline fell quiet for a few months, but a couple weeks ago rumors were swirling that Oliver was filming a “wacky” role on Days of Our Lives. At the time, I kinda thought General Hospital had lost the plot, since Oliver had spent an extended time talking about that particular soap. But it turns out those thoughts were for naught, cause Oliver had an even bigger plot twist to reveal: he landed roles on BOTH General Hospital AND Days of Our Lives, dun dun DUN!
In March, Oliver did a segment on “Last Week Tonight” about how much he loves soap operas, joking he’s “jealous” that Stephen A. Smith has had a recurring role on “General Hospital” since 2016. So Oliver threw his hat in the ring to get involved in a soap.
“I want to be part of that world, so to all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you,” he said at the time. “Write me a role, and I will be on your set so fast, it will make your head spin.”
Almost four months later, the comedian revealed on his June 28 show that two separate soap operas took him up on the offer, and he accepted both. Oliver said he has “already taped a week of episodes” of “Days of Our Lives,” which he called a “huge honor.”
But that’s not all: Oliver will also appear on “General Hospital.”
“What is funnier than being in one soap opera? Being in two,” he said. “You can see me on, and I cannot believe I am saying this, ‘General Hospital’ on ABC next week.”
Oliver showed a promotional photo of his “General Hospital” character, who in the picture wore a suit and had a serious expression while being flanked by men with guns. He also showed a photo of himself on “Days of Our Lives” and quipped “you can tell how much I visually don’t belong anywhere near” the other actor in the scene.
The “Daily Show” alum said he “cannot wait for everyone to see what these two soaps have done,” adding that he’s “so grateful” that both shows “played along with us.”
In a news release, ABC confirmed Oliver will have a “significant guest role” on “General Hospital” in a three-episode arc.
“When John Oliver publicly threw down the gauntlet and said he wanted to appear on a soap, we didn’t hesitate for a second,” “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini said in a statement. “He was everything you’d hope he’d be: prepared, professional, funny and genuinely kind to everyone on set. He plays an integral character in the story, and I can’t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths with in Port Charles.”
Oliver said in a statement that being on “General Hospital” was “everything I hoped it would be” and joked, “It’s a true honor to be a small stain on the history of this illustrious show.”
I love that we live in a world where when John Oliver makes his wishes known, the appropriate parties rally to deliver for him. Not one but TWO soaps!! And hot damn, J. Olly looks sexy as all get out in that General Hospital still they released! He looks like Justin Theroux’s crooked government agent cousin in that pic. (Meanwhile, click to the next slide to see Oliver as Theroux’s bookish professor half-brother on Days of Our Lives… still with something crooked afoot.) And while we’re doing a bit of casting, I’ll venture further: given that Oliver scored two roles on two soaps, there’s an obvious play to make here, no? TWINS! O mighty soap opera gods, please give us Oliver twins, uniting two epic daytime series in hilarious syndicatry. We’ll just have to tune in to find out. Oliver’s General Hospital gig starts this week, with his episodes airing on July 2, 3, and 6 on Hulu. Then we can catch him on Days of Our Lives on August 11, 12, and 14 on Peacock. Like streams through the television, so are the soaps of our lives.
