In the wake of the mass shooting at Orlando gay nightclub Pulse on Sunday, people around the country and world came together to pay their respects to the victims and those affected by the senseless violence. Sunday night's Tony Awards were dedicated to the people affected by the tragedy with James Corden and Lin-Manuel Miranda paying tribute, and others stood in solidarity with one another at vigils across the country. Last Week Tonight host John Oliver also talked about the tragedy before beginning his show Sunday night by offering his condolences.
Without launching into an exploration of the shooter's motives or arguments about terrorism or gun control, Oliver appropriately addressed the pain we all feel in the wake of a tragedy like this. "Look, it's still early and details are still emerging, and right now this just hurts," he said.
Here is @iamjohnoliver's speech at the start of Last Week Tonight, addressing the events in Orlando yesterday pic.twitter.com/BvOMUMDUlx
Oliver then went on to say that the scariest part about this pain we feel is that it's so familiar at this point. He drew a connection between the locations targeted in previous mass shootings and Orlando and pointed out that these places are hubs of vibrant and thriving culture. Last November, for example, terrorists targeted sites in Paris that further the city's rich culture, like restaurants and a large music venue. The shooting in Orlando took place at a gay club's Latin night in the theme park capital of the world, a combination of several beautiful facets of American culture. "I would happily embrace a Latin night at a gay club in the theme park capital of the world as the ultimate symbol of what is truly wonderful about America," Oliver said.
Here's the second part of @iamjohnoliver speech about Orlando from Last Week Tonight. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/kHnzN5QjsT
Rather than harp on the brutality of the shooting or its implications, Oliver called attention to powerful footage that shows hundreds of people in Florida lining up around the block to donate blood to the victims of the shooting. "And it kind of reminds you that that terrorist dipshit is vastly outnumbered," he said.
You can watch Oliver's whole speech in the clip above.
