John Oliver sued by healthcare boss he rebuked on air over 'bowel movement' comments

A erstwhile wellness security brag has taken ineligible enactment against “Last Week Tonight” big John Oliver, filing a defamation suit against the Emmy winner.

Dr. Brian Morley, a infirmary head and erstwhile aesculapian manager for AmeriHealth Caritas successful Iowa, filed his suit Friday successful the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Morley’s ailment stems from a Medicaid-themed occurrence of “Last Week Tonight” that aired successful April 2024. The lawsuit, reviewed by The Times, alleges Oliver and “Last Week Tonight” shaper Partially Important Productions linked Morley to a drastic alteration successful Medicaid services and accused him of reasoning “it’s good if radical person s— connected them for days.”

An lawyer for Morley did not remark to The Times connected Wednesday and a typical for Oliver did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

The occurrence cardinal to Morley’s suit aired April 14, 2024, and saw Oliver research the authorities of Medicaid, examining healthcare companies’ cost-cutting measures and their toll connected patients crossed assorted states. During the segment, which aired connected HBO and is disposable connected YouTube, Oliver explained the relation of managed attraction organizations (MCOs) successful the healthcare strategy and shared a quality outlet’s video astir dwindling diligent care. The 2018 quality snippet featured a cerebral palsy diligent successful Iowa named Louis whose attraction was negatively impacted by MCO involvement.

Oliver followed that portion of the conception with an audio snippet of Morley’s comments astir diligent attraction from a 2017 administrative hearing. In the clip, Morley tin beryllium heard saying: “People person bowel movements each time wherever they don’t wholly cleanable themselves and we don’t fuss implicit [them] excessively much. People are allowed to beryllium dirty. You know, I would let him to beryllium a small soiled for a mates of days.”

The punctuation garnered a beardown absorption from the “Last Week Tonight” workplace assemblage and led Oliver to accidental helium thought Morley’s comments were taken retired of context. He explained that helium archetypal thought “there is nary mode a doctor, a licensed physician, would attest successful a proceeding that helium thinks it’s OK if radical person s— connected them for days.” Oliver continued his conception stating his squad obtained the afloat proceeding and that Morley “said it.”

“He meant it and it made maine privation to punch a spread successful the wall,” Oliver said. The conception returned to the 2018 video of Louis and his mother, some responding negatively to Morley’s comments. The “Last Week Tonight” big had immoderate prime words for Morley — which were cited successful Friday’s lawsuit.

In his complaint, Morley says, “Defendants’ mendacious accusations were designed to spark outrage, and they did.

“The mendacious accusations Defendants made were truthful heinous that John Oliver felt justified successful telling his millions of viewers: ‘F— that doc with a rusty canoe. I anticipation helium gets tetanus of the balls,’” the ailment said. “Oliver’s feigned outrage astatine Dr. Morley was fabricated for ratings and profits astatine the disbursal of Dr. Morley’s estimation and idiosyncratic well-being.”

Morley accused Oliver and “Last Week Tonight” of making him the “face” of the melodramatic alteration successful Medicaid attraction and accrued cost-cutting. The suit besides raised concerns astir however “Last Week Tonight” allegedly misrepresented Morley’s 2017 comments and “knew and disregarded” assorted details of the proceeding successful the April episode.

The suit alleges that the “Last Week Tonight” squad “conveyed the mendacious and defamatory meanings” that Morley denied attraction to “Louis and/or the alleged ‘similar’ idiosyncratic subject” of his grounds and that helium allegedly said it was acceptable for patients who deterioration diapers oregon who cannot bathe themselves to “be near sitting successful their ain bowel movements for days.”

The ailment says that the “Last Week Tonight” squad obtained and reviewed “an unabridged audio recording” of the 2017 proceeding and that 1 of the show’s elder quality producers allegedly confirmed to Morley that they had reviewed the hearing. According to the lawsuit, Morley made his “bowel movement” comments successful respect to a “hypothetical mean person, who is independently mobile and tin toilet transfer” but who mightiness not person been capable to cleanable themselves wholly aft a bowel movement. “Last Week Tonight” allegedly did not disclose that detail, according to the lawsuit.

He accused the show’s producers of “negligence, cognition of falsity, and/or a reckless disregard for the truth.”

Morely besides alleges that a “Last Week Tonight” quality shaper “refused” to conscionable erstwhile helium offered to explicate his comments. The defendants besides allegedly refused Morley’s October 2024 petition that they “retract their mendacious and defamatory statements.”

Morley seeks an unspecified magnitude successful damages including ineligible fees and further relief. He besides requests that judges bid “Last Week Tonight” to region the “false and defamatory statements from each platforms” and support them from republishing. He is seeking a trial.