One way to cope with the grief of losing your family dog is to dedicate an Emmy award to them. At least, that’s what comedian and host John Oliver did.
What happened at the Emmys?
While accepting the award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series at this year’s Emmy Awards for “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver thanked several people, but his tribute to his dog stood out and even got him censored.
“I also want to thank, this is going to be very silly, our dog,” Oliver says towards the middle of his speech. “We had the most fantastic dog, and she was at our wedding and she got us through a pandemic, she was with us through two pregnancies.”
Melancholy music started to play, signaling his time for speaking was over.
“Perfect choice of music! We had to say goodbye to her, and uh f–k you!” Oliver says in response to being played off before his speech was over. “I feel like Sarah Mclachlan right now.”
Who is Sarah McLachlan?
In 2006, Canadian singer and songwriter Sarah McLachlan’s 1997 song, “Angel,” debuted on an ASPCA commercial. The commercial included several animals in distress where the last part of the commercial included McLachlan asking viewers to donate money to the ASPCA. The commercial was such a heart-string puller, that according to McLachlan it raised around $30 million dollars.
Oliver was definitely giving McLachlan energy in his Emmys speech as he persisted after music to speak about the importance of canine companionship.
What kind of dog did John Oliver have?
While there seem to be no recent photos of Oliver and his furry companion, he did post about his dog back in 2012. According to a blog post on AnimalFair.com, Oliver’s pup appears to have been a golden lab mix named Hoagie.
What are viewers saying?
Viewers are in love with Oliver’s Emmy acceptance speech and feel bad the poor guy was getting gently asked to stop speaking.
“Good for him. This speech made me fall even more in love with him. This dude is the real deal,” one user wrote on this X post.
“John Oliver’s acceptance speech [ at the Emmys ] was incredibly moving, highlighting how dogs are the true companions that bring joy and unconditional love into our lives. They really are our best friends. 🐶❤️ #Emmys #DogLovers #BestFriend,” another wrote.
“He is going to f–king FRY them on the next episode,” one user said.
“Emotional authenticity takes center stage! John Oliver’s heartfelt moment, though cut short, resonated deeply. His raw honesty and dark humor turned a poignant tribute into a memorable Emmy moment. Even in grief, he still managed to make us laugh and feel,” shares another commenter on a separate post.
It seems that Oliver gained some fans during his acceptance speech. Maybe the Emmy’s team queueing him off stage was worth it to make Oliver’s late dog dedication even more memorable.
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