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What is John Oliver's net worth? Here's how comedian-turned-talk show host made his mark and a massive fortune

The 43-year-old host of 'Last Week Tonight' started his career as a stand-up comedian and earned millions after making a name for himself in the television industry

John Oliver is undoubtedly one of the best talk show hosts out there and has created a lot of impact with his stupendous writing skills in recent years. The 43-year-old started his career as a stand-up comedian and did numerous gigs while residing in the United Kingdom. Through his source material and an amazing sense of humor, Oliver has made a name for himself in the television industry.

The British comedian uncovers the truth behind all the major happenings in the United States and all over the world in his usual quirky manner. There is no doubt that Oliver is one of the leading talk-show hosts and comedians in the industry right now. However, it will be interesting to see how much he earns by hosting the ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’.

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Early Life and his stint at ‘The Daily Show’

Born on April 23, 1977, Oliver is a British comedian and television host who started his professional career as a stand-up comedian in the UK. The comedian joined ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’ as a senior correspondent in 2006 and did a lot of writing for the series, making him win Primetime Emmys for outstanding writing in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

His influence on the show was such that Oliver filled in as a guest host whenever Stewart was not able to fulfill the hosting duties.

On the personal front, Oliver tied the knot with Kate Norley, an Iraq War veteran, in October 2011. They share two children together.

Hosting the ‘Last Week Tonight’ show

In 2014, HBO gave him a chance to host ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’. He grabbed the opportunity and signed a two-year contract with the cable network. Oliver received more than 85M views for his segment with Donald Trump in 2016.

His initial two-year contract with HBO was extended through 2017 in February 2015, and through 2020 in September 2017. According to TV Guide’s annual salary report in 2017, he was making $2M a year and HBO decided to not disclose his new salary.

Just how much is he worth with his show and other career interests? According to Celebrity Net Worth, Oliver’s worth is estimated at $30M. The impressive number has shown no signs of slacking even as the host is continuously attacked by the right-wing supporters on social media.

However, Celebrity Net Worth reports that his current annual salary for ‘Last Week Tonight’ is $8M and his annual salary amount will certainly go up as the premium cable network recently announced that it has renewed 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' for three more seasons, taking the comedian’s run through the year 2023.

A well-known philanthropist

Apart from hosting the show, he is also a well-known philanthropist and does a lot of on-air giveaways. In 2016, he shocked the people of the United States when he paid over $15M of medical debt owed by over 9,000 people. He purchased the debt for $60,000 and forgave it on a show that was broadcasted in June 2016. Oliver proclaimed himself “the new queen of daytime talk” and jokingly said, “Fuck you, Oprah,” after completing the giveaway.

Television and film career

Oliver has appeared in various films and TV series throughout his career. He started his acting career with the television program ‘Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House’ in 1985. However, his acting career saw a boom after he started hosting the ‘Last Week Tonight’. Since 2014, he has appeared or given voice-overs in projects such as ‘Community’, ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Danger Mouse’ and Disney’s ‘The Lion King’.

Accolades

The host has won 13 Primetime Emmys to his name. He won three Emmys for his writing on 'The Daily Show' and won 10 more trophies for hosting and writing the 'Last Week Tonight'. Apart from that, he has five Producers Guild Awards and five Writers Guild of America Awards. 

Season 8 of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'

Oliver will be back with the eighth season of 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' later this month. The show will begin its eighth season on Sunday, February 14, at 11 pm ET/PT on HBO. It will also be streaming live on the network’s streaming service HBO Max. The satirical current events show ended its seventh season in November 2020 and the talk-show giant is now ready to satisfy the viewers with a plethora of jokes and sharp political commentary.

The guest list for the upcoming season hasn’t been revealed yet.