John Oliver's private panic: Late-night curse spreads and host prepares for worst as insiders reveal his desperate 'plan B'... and the industry whispers swirling about his fate

Reserved for political talk and lambasting those in power, John Oliver recently switched up his regularly scheduled jokes on his late-night show to make an earnest personal plea.

The comedian, 49, took the opportunity to pitch himself to the five major soap operas in March: 'To all the soap operas out there, let me say this: I am officially offering myself to you.' 

'Write me a role, and I'll be on your set so fast, it'll make your head spin,' Oliver begged before adding his conditions. He did not want to play himself, he wanted a 'ridiculous' name and he wanted to do 'something juicy like murder.' He also requested a 'dramatic close-up' of his face, before promising he would give his all to the performance.

Fast forward three months and Oliver's dream has seemingly come true, with the HBO talk show host said to have 'hit it out of the park' after landing 'a wacky role' that was written for him on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

The Daily Mail has learned Oliver, who started filming this week, has 'been looking for an additional career direction' - perhaps a somewhat wise decision given President Donald Trump is championing what he thinks is the 'beginning of the end' for late-night hosts.

The television personality was inspired by broadcaster Stephen A Smith, who plays the recurring character Brick on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. 

Smith joined General Hospital in 2016 to play a 'highly skilled surveillance expert, tech specialist, and trusted confidant/security consultant for the Corinthos mob family.'

After Oliver found out about Smith's role - which he landed after being a lifelong fan of the show - he was inspired to snag a role of his own on any daytime drama. He even said he would recreate one of Smith's General Hospital shootout scenes, proving his dedication.

And like Smith, Oliver could even become a soap star.

'If the character takes off, writers could turn it into a recurring or even contract role,' an insider told the Daily Mail. '[Days of Our Lives] tapes nine months before it airs, but execs have decided to slot John’s scenes in asap, potentially as soon as August, to see the audience reaction.'

He will no doubt be a hit with fans of the beloved daytime soap, which first aired in 1965, with many devout viewers begging execs to hire him after his impassioned late-night plea.

Rumor has it, his character gets killed off 'for ratings and sensationalism,' but that does not mean he won't return. For, according to our insider, 'no one ever dies in Salem and loads of actors have "died" and later returned.'

And it wasn't the only role Oliver has been offered. General Hospital 'pitched him an emotional role recently, but he turned it down,' our insider said, because 'he only wants to play fun parts.'

The 26-time Emmy winner reportedly 'wants to add a Daytime Emmy for acting to show how versatile he is.' He already has a Grammy Award, receiving Best Spoken Word Album in 2011 after co-authoring and narrating The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth alongside fellow correspondents.

Oliver would be far from the first late-night star to transition to acting. Many Daily Show correspondents have gone on to become bona fide actors, including Steve Carell, Ed Helms, Olivia Munn, Rob Riggle, Rob Corddry, Jessica Williams and Josh Gad.

Oliver's shock career pivot comes amid a reckoning for late-night hosts as Trump publicly rails against them.

In May, the president celebrated the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, writing that he has 'no talent, no ratings, no life' on Truth Social. Trump also previously called on ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, fueling the pair's long-running feud. 

Last November, Trump took aim at Seth Meyers, claiming on the social media platform Truth Social that he has 'no talent' before asking NBC to 'fire him IMMEDIATELY!'

And, in a chilling warning, he called Colbert's firing the 'Beginning of the End for untalented, nasty, highly overpaid, not funny, and very ​poorly rated Late Night Television Hosts.' 

'Others, of even less talent, to soon follow,' he wrote. 'May they ​all Rest in Peace!'

The move also comes after Oliver defeated a defamation suit this month.

Iowa healthcare worker Dr Brian Morley claimed in his 2025 defamation filing that Oliver 'feigned outrage' at him 'for ratings and profits,' citing a 2024 episode that criticized Medicaid programs cutting costs.

In the episode, Morley is heard admitting that 'people have bowel movements every day where they don’t completely clean themselves, and we don’t fuss too much.' He also said that 'people are allowed to be dirty,' adding: 'You know, I would allow him to be dirty for a couple of days.'

At the time, Oliver said the doctor's remarks made him 'want to punch a hole in the wall.' 

Despite the off-screen drama, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is currently airing its thirteenth season on HBO. 

But it does not mean Oliver is getting too comfortable.

As our source put it: 'Can’t hurt to have a plan B.'