Who is Gabrielle Hanson? John Oliver rips into 'hardcore MAGA candidate's bizarre antics
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Republicans may still be embroiled in their House leadership struggles, but on Sunday night, October 8, John Oliver turned his attention to the contenders while also taking a jab at an unlikely mayoral candidate from Franklin, Tennessee, Gabrielle Hanson.
The 'Last Week Tonight' host seized the opportunity to poke fun at this real estate agent turned town alderman, who is running as a MAGA candidate against the incumbent Republican mayor in November, as per the Daily Beast.
Gabrielle Hanson's Mar-a-Lago moment
John Oliver wasted no time before launching his hilarious critique, sharing photos of Gabrielle Hanson at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, saying, "She's branded herself as a hardcore MAGA candidate. Look how happy she is there."
He added, "That's the face of someone who's just dined out on a well-done steak and read some classified documents on the toilet."
One of Hanson's earlier controversies involved her futile attempt to block a Pride event in a city park in April. Moreover, during a meeting, she used her position as alderman to hold up a photo of a participant dressed as Elmo, describing them as a confusing danger to children.
Last week, she reportedly showed up to government meetings accompanied by bodyguards who had affiliations with neo-Nazi groups and the Proud Boys, as per the Daily Beast.
The comedian couldn't help but question her logic, stating, "Because seeing Olaf from Frozen with his head popped off, smoking a black and mild is way more confusing than someone wearing eyeshadow in an Elmo-themed body suit."
But it turns out, that the Elmo in question was no ordinary character as it was Jaidynn Diore Fierce, a contestant on 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 7. Oliver, ever quick with the wit, praised her for "constantly serving cartoon looks" and cheekily asked, "Have you ever seen a Minion serve body? Because you have now."
John Oliver digs up a Speedo situation of Gabrielle Hanson's husband
Adding to the hilarity, it was revealed that Gabrielle Hanson's husband had participated in a Chicago Pride Parade in 2008, wearing nothing but an American flag Speedo while running for Congress. She later admitted to daring him to wear the Speedo.
Oliver took the opportunity to tease Hanson, even wondering aloud if her husband was "tucking" inside his Speedo.
Her antics apparently didn't stop there as she attempted to convince the Nashville airport to shut down a Juneteenth celebration, prompting Oliver to quip, "With all due respect, you're talking to an airport, Gabrielle. It doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about anyone. It's an airport."
Perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments for Hanson came when she posted an Instagram photo claiming to be dining with a diverse group of supporters, only for one of the women to deny even knowing who she was during a local TV interview.
The comedian pointed out, "Wow. Not only are those women clearly not your friends, you definitely just united them against you."
Gabrielle Hanson's questionable premonitions
Gabrielle Hanson's credibility took another hit when she claimed to have warned a police officer about her premonitions of a school shooting in Nashville. However, the officer had recorded the entire conversation on his body camera, debunking her claim.
In a separate interview, she attempted to link actress Melissa Joan Hart to her intuitions, leading Oliver to comment, "That's not something an elected official should say in an interview. It's what a Disney Channel exec probably screamed in 2002 after inhaling a metric ton of cocaine," as reported by the Daily Beast.
As Oliver wrapped up his scathing commentary on Hanson, he expressed amazement that she still had supporters and a real chance of winning the mayoral election.
"In a world that made sense, this woman would obviously have withdrawn from this mayoral race in shame. But she still has supporters," lamented the comedian.
He further alleged, "And there’s a real chance she could still win this election, because while her numerous scandals are clearly almost cartoonish in their extremity, her behavior is entirely emblematic of Republican politics, from the local level all the way up to the top."