John Oliver's Junk Auction Raises $1.54M for Public Media & He Declines Air Bud Role

John Oliver BioSnap a weekly updated Biography. John Oliver has had quite the busy stretch as we head into the final stretch of 2025. Most significantly, his show Last Week Tonight concluded its Season 12 run on November 16th with what turned out to be a powerhouse finale. The episode focused on the Trump administration's decision to slash 1.1 billion dollars in funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a move that clearly struck a nerve with the comedian. That finale episode launched into something truly remarkable. Oliver organized a charity auction to benefit public media through what he calls John Oliver's Junk, and the results have been staggering. According to entertainment outlets covering the story, the auction raised a total of 1.54 million dollars for the Public Media Bridge Fund, which supports local public broadcasters in crisis. The star of the show was a Bob Ross painting titled Cabin at Sunset that sold for over 1 million dollars, setting a new auction record for any Bob Ross work ever sold. Other notable items that found buyers included a GWAR-signed bidet that went for six thousand dollars, a gold-plated recreation of President Lyndon B. Johnson's anatomy for twenty-five thousand five hundred dollars, and Russell Crowe's jockstrap from Cinderella Man that sold for twenty-one thousand dollars. Beyond the auction, Oliver released a web exclusive video on November 24th diving back into the Air Bud franchise for the third time. In this latest installment, the Air Bud production team actually reached out to Oliver after his previous monologues, offering him a role as a human being in the upcoming Air Bud Returns film. Oliver ultimately declined the role, though he noted the situation with his typical humor. Ironically, just nine days after receiving the offer, the production company announced that Air Bud Returns had already wrapped filming. On the content front, Oliver has maintained his signature blend of sharp political commentary mixed with absurdist humor throughout the season. His recent work tackled everything from mayoral politics to artificial intelligence-generated content flooding social media feeds, which he described in characteristically blunt fashion. The show will remain dark for several months going forward. HBO has made clear there won't be new episodes until sometime in 2026, giving Oliver and his team time to recharge before the next season begins. Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.