John Oliver quietly visits his new sewer plant
Trip marks end of series of on-air jabs with Boughton
It wasn’t such a crappy deal after all: Danburygotmoneyforcharityandwelcomed a celebrity during a pandemic, while comedian JohnOliver got publicity, material for his showandhisnameonthecity’ssewagetreatment plant.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton announced on Facebook early Monday that Oliver had visited the plant, solidifying a deal that ended a series of back-and-forth jabs starting with the potty-mouthed Oliver’s random cuts on Danbury during one of his shows. The tongue-in-cheek ribbon cutting took place Columbus Day weekend.
Boughton’s Facebook announcement was in the form of a picture and two sentences. The photo shows Boughton and Oliver, both wearing masks, next to a new sign proclaiming theplantthe“JohnOliverMemorialSewer Plant, Danbury CT.”
“It was glorious,” the mayor wrote. “Congratulations to Mr. John Oliver.”
Within a few hours there were more than 100 comments, a vast majority of which were positive.
“Thanks for some fun during this horrible time!” one writer said.
Just last week, Danbury was named a COVID-19 hot spot. It is one of 11 “red alert” municipalities which have experienced at least 15 daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. Oliver cameprepared, albeit somewhatjokinglyso, wearingapuffed-outprotective suit withair flowingthroughitandaclear plastic cube over his head. It was modeled after oneworninthemovie“Contagion,” said Taylor O’Brien, whodoes public relations for the city.
The ribbon cutting was the last in a series of tit-for-tats between Oliver and Boughton that started in August. During one of his “Last Week Tonight” shows on HBO, Oliver talked about problems with the jury system andmentionedhowpotentialjurorsfromtwo cities in the state were left off a juror list. He then asked, “If you’re going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury?” In his characteristic foul way, Oliver blasted the small city for no apparent reason.
“From its charming railway museum to its historic Hearthstone castle, Danbury, Connecticut can eat my whole [expletive],” he said.
Boughton returned fire with an offer to namethesewagetreatmentplantafterOliver. “Why? Because it’s full of [expletive], just like youJohn,” the mayorsaidinaFacebookvideo.
Boughton later said the offer was made in jest, but Oliver said he loved the idea.
“I didn’t know that I wanted my name on your [expletive] factory, but now that you’ve floated it as an option, it is all that I want,” he said in a follow-up segment.
Oliver then offered $55,000 in donations — $25,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, $25,000 to fulfill all requests from Danbury school teachers onDonorsChooseand$5,000 to ALS Connecticut. He said he’d also pay for anewsignoutsidetheplantbearinghisname. The donations came in and spurred a flurry of fundraising for the local food bank, the Danbury Food Collaborative, O’Brien said. (Contributions maybemadethroughfeedingourneighborschallenge.org.)
Danbury’s city council voted on Oct. 8 to rename the sewage treatment plant after Oliver. But there was a catch: Oliver had to show up in person.
Oliver did, but his visit was kept under wraps. The public wasn’t invited, but a film crewrecordeditandOliverendedhisSundaynight show with video from the mock ceremony.
Boughton cut the ribbon, and Oliver, with the American flag waving in the background and dramatic music playing, said, “There is a reason this sewerplant meanssomuchtome. And that’s that it represents everything that we need the most right now. Because think aboutit, this place takes theworstthathumanity can produce and transforms it into something that we can live with.
“And now more than ever, there’s something inspirational in that. Because at the end of this awful, awful year, what could be more importantthanevidencethatifwewantto, we cancometogether, overcomeourdifferences, and sort our [expletive] out?”