Skip to main content

John Oliver uses soap opera stars to make his point about the Syrian refugee crisis

john oliver syrian refugee crisis jon refugees still
LastWeekTonight/YouTube
John Oliver made magic happen for 16-year-old Syrian refugee Noujain Mustaffa on the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight: He reunited her favorite soap opera couple, EJ and Sami, for a scene that highlighted the heartbreaking crisis and the mistreatment of refugees. There was even a shoutout to the amazing teenager — and Days of Our Lives Fan — who journeyed for 20 days from her hometown to the border of Hungary, a trek made all the more difficult by the fact that she’s in a wheelchair.

Along with her sister and a family friend, Mustaffa has been trying to reach Germany, where her brother is already seeking asylum, according to the BBC. Oliver was clearly touched by her story and used it as an example of the struggle that many refugees have faced, from not being to get an appointment to register with the government till five years from now to being kicked by members of the media.

Recommended Videos

He didn’t stop there, though. In a brilliant move, Oliver enlisted the help of actors James Scott and Alison Sweeney and had them reprise their Days roles to drive the message home.

Fans of the soap, like Mustaffa, know that the reunion was complicated by the fact that Scott’s character, EJ, was killed off, but fortunately, a little thing like that didn’t prevent the reunion from happening. In the skit, EJ explains that he was resurrected by witch doctors. “It was nothing,” he adds. “Coming back from the dead, that’s not hard. You know what’s hard? Getting from Syria to Germany.”

Sami agrees, asking her long-lost love, “Have you seen what those migrants are going through?” The two continue to discuss the crisis, with EJ finally adding, “You know, there are some amazing people coming through that border. I read about this incredible 16-year-old girl from Kobani named Noujain Mustaffa.”

Simply put, the skit is gold. Watch the segment below. The hilarious yet thought-provoking reunion comes around the 15:35 mark.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Migrants and Refugees (HBO)
Stephanie Topacio Long
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
Check out this great movie before it leaves Amazon Prime Video next week (November 2024)
Danny walks through the Overlook Hotel as an adult in Doctor Sleep.

Anyone who loves movies likely holds The Shining, one of Jack Nicholson's best movies ever, in high regard. It's one of the most important horror movies ever made, and it's also a movie that was quite loosely adapted from its source material, a novel by Stephen King. The author has never been quiet about his dislike for the movie adaptation in spite of its popularity, and even wrote a sequel called Doctor Sleep that expanded on his version of the story.

That novel eventually made its way to movie theaters, and it wasn't exactly a box office phenomenon. Before it leaves Amazon Prime Video at the end of the month, though, here are three reasons you should make time for it (the director's cut is particularly excellent).

Read more
Scream 7 casts 1883’s Isabel May to play Sidney Prescott’s daughter
A woman holds the saddle of a horse as she rides.

The Scream franchise has found its new final girl. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Isabel May is in talks to play the daughter of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott in Scream 7.

May is the breakout star of 1883, Taylor Sheridan's prequel series to Yellowstone. May starred as Elsa Dutton, the daughter of James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret (Faith Hill) Dutton. May would later reprise the role as the narrator for the 1883 sequel series, 1923.

Read more
Is Venom going to be in Spider-Man 4? Sony may have revealed a major clue
spider man 4 venom tom holland hardy major crossover and

Spider-Man 4 is now official. Tom Holland is back and will reprise the role of Peter Parker in his fourth solo film. Now, all eyes are on the story, as fans speculate the plot details for the next entry in the Spider-Man universe. One of the hottest rumors for Spider-Man 4 is a crossover with Venom. Sony Pictures Japan might have accidentally revealed plans for Holland to interact with Tom Hardy's Venom.

Sony included some revealing information about Venom in a press release announcing Spider-Man 4's release date. The statement read: "Tom Holland, who plays Peter, has already given his stamp of approval to the story! 'This will be a real movie that fans can respect!' Is Tom Hardy, who plays Eddie in the 'Venom' series, ready to take part?"

Read more