John Oliver Calls Disney 'Morally Bankrupt' for Political Donations
HBO late-night show host John Oliver called out Disney for its role in indirectly funding Florida's antigay "Don't Say Gay" legislation on his Emmy-winning show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,"on March 13.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Oliver devoted a big chunk of his Sunday show to connecting the dots from "Don't Say Gay" to Disney's donations to anti-gay politicians.
"When you donate money, you generally know what the recipient is going to do with it," said Oliver. "That is why people donate to 'Feeding America' and not 'Feeding America or Maybe Taking Food Away From America.'"
He added, "Now, are they morally bankrupt for doing that? Who's to say? I'll tell you: I am. I am to say. After all, I'm Zazu," said Oliver, referring to his role as Zazu in new "The Lion King."
Disney reportedly donated $300,000 to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signaled that he planned to sign the "Don't Say Gay" bill, among other anti-gay politicians.
If signed into law, the House Bill 1557, or the Parental Rights in Education bill, will ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity "in kindergarten through grade 3."
Disney CEO Bob Chapek released a poorly timed statement about its stance on the bill. However, LGBTQ Disney employees have said too little too late and have expressed outrage over the company's anti-LGBTQ political actions.
In response to the whole debacle, Disney has reportedly suspended its political donations in Florida.
But by the time you become the butt of jokes on Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" it is most definitely too little too late.
Oliver continued calling Disney to the carpet by pointing out its queer-coding of Disney villains, including "The Little Mermaid's" Ursula, "Peter Pan's" Captain Hook, "Aladdin's" Jafar, and "The Lion King's" Scar.
"Marginalized creators have made billions of dollars for Disney," Oliver said. "Now, should it embarrass them that it took them until this week to realize that they shouldn't take that money and use it to actively undermine those creators' interests? Who's to say? I'll tell you. I am. I'm Zazu, remember? And while I haven't been invited back for the prequel yet, after tonight I've got a pretty good feeling about it."