Last Week Tonight host John Oliver made TV history after forgiving the medical debt of almost 9,000 people totaling over $15 million. Well-known for his daring comedic antics, John Oliver’s latest stunt aimed to expose and spread awareness on the ills of the US debt-buying industry. With little to no regulation, entry to the debt buying market is shockingly easy and in some states no license is even required. “Debt-buying is a grimy business and badly needs more oversight… any idiot can get into it,” Oliver said.
To prove his point, the TV host established his own debt-buying company called the Central Asset Recovery Professionals or CARP (after the bottom-feeding fish) in Mississippi via the internet with ease. Using the newly established company, John Oliver bought for a mere $60,000 the right to collect the debt of nearly 9,000 people and was given access to their names, current addresses, and social security numbers.
But instead of enforcing collection, Oliver waived the right and effectively forgave over $15 million in debt. The debt condonation was technically one of the biggest giveaways in a TV show, beating Oprah Winfrey’s 2004 car giveaway which was estimated to be around $7.7 million.
