Comedian John Oliver has expertly debunked anti-trans talking points surrounding transgender athletes in one of his signature deep-dives on talk show Last Week Tonight.

Oliver, who has previously defended the LGBTQ+ community in clips about Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and gender-affirming care, spoke at length about trans people in sports during an episode of Last Week Tonight on Sunday (6 April).

Speaking on the talk show, Oliver debunked the myth that cisgender athletes have “lost” 900 medals to trans athletes – which he said was a number JK Rowling had publicised – explaining that not only is that number incorrect and based on flawed calculations, but many cis female athletes have spoken out in support of trans athletes they had competed against.

“A lot of what you see [online] may not be quite what you think it is, both when it comes to trans athletes’ impact on competition or safety,” the 47-year-old comedian explained.

John Oliver debunks the right-wing talking point that athletes lost 900 medals to trans athletes. pic.twitter.com/XijUYMkKHb

— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) April 7, 2025

He added that the “900” number of events won by trans athletes “included competitions… down to the level of a fun run in Topeka, Kansas, and an Irish dance competition, as well as activities where gender confers no advantage, like poker.”

Elsewhere in the segment, Oliver slammed US president Donald Trump for his executive order attempting to ban trans women from participating in sports, criticised the conspiracy theory that trans athletes transition solely to gain an advantage in sports, and debunked the claim that trans women and girls have an inherent advantage over cis women in sports.

“This issue is an obsession for Republicans, last year they spent over $116 million just on TV ads featuring trans athletes,” Oliver claimed. “The relentless focus on this over the years has had a meaningful impact.”

He also roasted author JK Rowling, who posted the “single longest Tweet I have ever seen in my life” criticising Oliver after the comedian previously stood up for trans rights in a Last Week Tonight episode after Donald Trump’s election.

“It feels a bit weird to catch that much heat from the creator of Harry Potter, especially when I clearly look like what would have happened if they had just left him in that cupboard for the rest of his life,” he joked.

Rowling, who courted separate conrtoversy over the weekend after branding international Asexuality Day “fake oppression day”, responded to Oliver on Twitter on Tuesday (7 April).

Resharing a clip of the segment, the Harry Potter author wrote: “I understand why men like Oliver, who’ve consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially. They didn’t want to blow up their careers. Taking fashionable anti-women’s rights positions was the cost of doing business. But it’s time to read the f**king room.

In the wake of Trump’s executive order against trans athletes, GLAAD stated: “All women and girls, including transgender women and girls, should be welcome to play sports if they want, make decisions about their own bodies, be hired for jobs they are qualified for, and be free from lawless attacks by elected officials,” adding that Trump has “zero credibility in any conversation about protecting women and girls”.

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