John Oliver's Anita Hill Interview Recalls a Time Before #MeToo Had a Name

John Oliver's Anita Hill interview on Sunday's episode of "Last Week Tonight" helped the talk show host lean into the discussion on workplace sexual harassment, including the latest allegations against CBS Corp. chief executive Les Moonves.

Hill, who became a household name in the early '90s after accusing then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment and testifying against his confirmation, said times have certainly changed since then, according to USA Today.

"There has been a tremendous amount of change in public attitude and there has been a change in the information we have about sexual harassment," Hill told Oliver. "Even a few years ago, people were ambivalent about what the consequences should be concerning behaving incredibly badly in the workplace."

Hill added that she feels "more optimistic that I was 27 years ago. If we do nothing, then change is not going to come."

Hill was working as an aide for Thomas at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when the alleged incidents took place, according to Britannica.com. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for eight hours, something Thomas would later characterize as "a high-tech lynching."

Despite Hill's sometimes graphic and detailed testimony, Thomas went on to win confirmation to the court.

Oliver pointed to Hill's 1991 testimony to suggest that little has changed from the way women bring complaints of sexual harassment.

"Re-watching the Senate debate about her now, it is depressing how many of the techniques used to undermine her are still around today," Oliver said on the show. "Concern over false allegations, blaming the victim, to outright character assassination."

Last week, in a new Ronan Farrow New Yorker piece, six women who dealt with Moonves years ago claimed he sexually harassed them, describing behavior including forced touching and kissing during business meetings to acts of intimidation and threats when they rejected him.

"Workplace harassment is something important to discuss, and it's been in the headlines again this week with the New Yorker exposé about CBS' Les Moonves coming hot on the heels of similar investigations into everyone from Harvey Weinstein to Charlie Rose," Oliver said on his show.

• Hollywood Harassment Guidelines Set by Producers Guild of America
• Time's Up Initiative: 12 A-Listers Spearheading Push Against Sexual Misconduct on the Job