John Oliver was on vacation this week, but the former "Daily Show" actor tossed fans of his new HBO show "Last Week Tonight" a web exclusive to make up for it. The subject: Pumpkin spice lattes.
According to The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog, the British satirist has in the past gone on tirades about serious subjects like police militarization, but took a much more lighthearted, slightly tongue-in-cheek approach to calling down America's obsession with the orange gourd.
"We tolerate pumpkin spice because we like the fall," Oliver begins in the clip. "It's the best season because you get to stop thinking about how weird your legs look in shorts."
He notes, however, that there isn't actually any pumpkin in a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. The flavoring is anything but dependent on harvest season, and comes in the form of a jug full of brown sludge.
At the end of the day, however, regardless of any claims to seasonality or relation to actual pumpkins, Oliver's hatred of pumpkin spice lattes seems to hinge on the opinion that it's "coffee that tastes like a candle."
The Hollywood Reporter reported last month that Oliver's new HBO show is drawing roughly the same amount of viewers as the network's other politically-minded talk show host, Bill Maher.
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