Adam Driver And John Oliver's Relationship Explained

When the cast of the comedy talk show "Last Week Tonight" accepted the 2021 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, the writers and show host, John Oliver, gave a shoutout to none other than actor Adam Driver. "We would like to dedicate this award to Adam Driver. He knows what he did — and we know what we would like him to do," the show's writer joked, per E! News. However, the dedication left many viewers who are unfamiliar with the show a little bit confused. 

Over the course of the show, Oliver has continued a recurring joke bit during which he makes sexually suggestive comments about the famous "Star Wars" actor. Driver himself popped up during the Season 7 finale of "Last Week Tonight" in an attempt to push back at Oliver in a comedic manner. Although the joke sequence could've stopped there, it seems Oliver and the fellow show writers aren't done with Driver just yet. With that being said, here is insight into the relationship between television host John Oliver and actor Adam Driver. 

The relationship between "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver and Adam Driver had plenty of time to grow before the host and his writing team thanked the actor during their Emmys speech. When the Season 7 finale of Oliver's talk show aired in November 2020, Driver himself appeared to jokingly call out Oliver's suggestive jokes about him. 

"What the f*ck are you doing?" Driver seemingly angrily questioned after he supposedly called into the show. "This bit. This bit. This thing that you've been doing that's either sexual or violent. ... When you first started doing it, it was easy for me to shrug it off. But then it kept going on and on," he complained. "What's wrong with you? You realize we're strangers, right? I don't know you. And now random people on the internet 'stan' us, claiming that you 'thirsting' over me is a 'mood.' I'm sick of people stopping me on the street and asking me if I'm going to punch a hole in you like a 'Marriage Story' wall!"

When all was said and done, though, the actor was invited by the show's team and accepted it all in good fun. Whether the two were close before the jokes started happening or not, it's clear that we can 'stan' this light-hearted relationship. 

Throughout the run of John Oliver's show "Last Week Tonight," his jokes about Adam Driver have been a recurring segment that serve as a comedic break from heavy-hitting political discussions. "This human wall? I think we all know how I feel about that. Collapse on my chest, you impenetrable barrier. Crush my ribcage, you load-bearing behemoth," Oliver once said in a break from discussing immigration policies, per Mashable, to make a joke about Driver's height. 

According to Mashable, Oliver also addressed possible controversies of being overtly suggestive towards an actor on his show. "If you're anything like my staff, you're asking questions like, 'Is this sexual, or is it violent?' and you're then unsatisfied when the answer comes back: 'Yes,'" he said. He then brought up the same issue occurring with his wife. "If you're like my wife, you might be asking, 'Should I be worried about this?' with your concern only growing when the answer is: 'Only if you want to be.' And what of Adam Driver himself? Is he bothered by this continued sexualization? He seems like a fairly private guy who's generally uncomfortable with attention ... He might actually have pretty good grounds to have me reprimanded legally."

Well, it looks like Oliver has gotten his answer, and his jokes — along with his friendship with Driver — can continue.