John Oliver welcomed his new “business daddy” Sunday night in perhaps the most Last Week Tonight way possible: by ending his show with a series of increasingly sexualized drawings of Liberty Mutual’s new mascot.
Oliver devoted the show’s closing segment to “Liberty Biberty,” the fuzzy puppet currently appearing in a barrage of Liberty Mutual commercials—and made it clear he would very much like it to go away.
“That right there is a fuzzy testicle with teeth,” Oliver said of the creature. “It looks like Big Bird’s sleep paralysis demon.”
And he’s apparently not alone. Oliver played a montage of social media users pleading with Liberty Mutual to retire the mascot, including one who declared, “Neither of us can live while the other survives.”
But Oliver thinks all that hatred may be counterproductive. If outrage only gives brands more attention, he reasoned, getting rid of Biberty might require a different approach.
He found his blueprint in New Zealand’s Kiwibank, whose green sheep mascot Buck became the subject of sexualized social media posts over the summer. After the bank issued copyright takedowns, the jokes only multiplied—and Kiwibank stopped posting Buck to its social feeds.
“As Kiwibank has taught us, love can do what hate can’t,” he explained. “What I’m saying is, it may be time to thirst openly and enthusiastically after this atrocity.”
Oliver then displayed a series of suggestive illustrations of Liberty Biberty, drawn by someone on the show’s staff.
“We asked him for a four out of ten, and this is what he gave us,” Oliver said. “Liberty Mutual: Don’t make me ask him to go higher. You don’t want to know what a six looks like.”
He urged viewers to join the effort, warning others “might want to mute the word ‘Biberty’” on social media for the next week.
Then came his message for another corporation—and his first public remarks since Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO’s parent company, last Tuesday.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Skydance family!” Oliver shouted as the show ended. “Hope you’re happy with what you bought, guys. We’re never gonna change!”
Watch the full segment at the top of this post.
biberty looks a lot like a swingers pineapple 🍍
Sick people. It’s a ball with fur on it and it talks, thats it unless you a twisted sex crazed as*hole like these guys.
Did you pay attention? The whole point is people find the furball commercials annoying and they want to make it an inappropriate meme so the corporation will stop using it, like the sheep and Erin Esurance the lady secret agent before that. I was surprised he didn’t mention Erin Esurance to be honest.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw this post. My husband will tell you I scream at Liberty Mutual when I see Liberty Biberty. I feel John made this video just for me. I actually went on the corporate website and left an email expressing how much I hate this very creepy thing.
I found the Commercial offensive against Liberty! Trivializing Liberty is digusting. How about mutual goofable? I canceled my account’
I mean, it’s not just Liberty Mutual who is saying “Liberty biberty” amirite?
Just ask Ilhan Omar. DHS just raided a congressperson’s home weeks before her election.
Liberty Biberty alright. Republicans have made that clear.
(Mouth wide open) WOW
Biberty is just idiotic. It makes me lose all respect for Liberty Mutual.
But that’s nothing.
I’m really baffled by which one of the Morgan and Morgan adult children thought putting Ron Jeremy in a mermaid suit for a commercial would be a good idea. That’s the skeeviest, most trashy thing I’ve seen in years. I wonder if one of Morgan’s adult kids spent too much time “having lunch” at a strip club in Vegas. Or if he actually gets turned on by Ron Jeremy. All three of those morgan kids are big toeheaded oafs.
Thank you John Oliver!!! I laughed and laughed and laughed until I cried!!! On the button as we say in Canada!
Riveting stuff.
Tune in next Sunday where John goes after those “Safeline’ commercials.
A few off the top? swirling thoughts:
Liberty puberty (patches of underdeveloped hairs on the furry)
Liberty poop-ity (dog crapping out the furry)
Liberty leakage (warning on a medicine bottle)
John Oliver, do not change your presentation of your program. i look forward to your upcoming one’s that will put a big fucking happy grin on my face, and then I get to sleep like a BEAR, for the winter!
GO! JOHNNY! GO!
The Bibert ball is stupid. I liked when the biberty guy got a girlfriend and then the ball came and ruined it.
His best chance at having any cultural relevance these days…
I don’t know which is worse ,Liberty Biberty or Limu Emu. I can’t hardly stand either one . Or Doug either.
I love this little guy. The commercial where he gets the pretty actor to sign an autograph and our humble Liberty Biperty guy goes “What does it say” pure gold
Your existence is proof that we’re living in an idiocracy. I bet commercials made to look like tiktok influencer videos also work on you. Durrr…I can relate! Excuse me while I go and buy the latest Stanley travel mug!