The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
John Oliver secretly visits state for sewage plant renaming
DANBURY — After months of trading jokes with Mayor Mark Boughton, comedian John Oliver has finally gotten his wish — a sewage plant named in his honor.
On Sunday night’s episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the comedian revealed he secretly traveled last week to Danbury, where Boughton cut the ribbon to the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant.
“Yes, I went to Danbury — home of the Danbury Railway Museum, their self-proclaimed world’s tallest Uncle Sam and, now, the single greatest sewage plant in the continental United States.”
The episode, which covered the World Health Organization’s past, present and possible future without the United States as a member, saved the Danbury announcement for the last segment. Oliver said the sewage plant was “even more beautiful than I imagined.”
Boughton said last week the event would not be open to the public due to COVID-19 concerns. Although the trip to Danbury was not publicized, Oliver shared video of his visit to the Hat City.
The video showed Oliver dressed in a sort of “Bubble Boy” suit and wearing a clear plastic box over his head for the ceremony. Oliver recalled on the show how his heart pounded as he prepared to meet his destiny.
“And, to a lesser extent, Mayor Mark Boughton,” he said.
After the mayor cut the ribbon, Oliver gleefully cheered. He said the sewage plant represented everything the country needs most right now.
“Because think about it, this place takes the worst that humanity can produce, and transforms it into something that we can live with,” Oliver said.
“And now more than ever, there’s something
inspirational in that, because at the end of this awful, awful year, what could be more important than evidence that, if we want to, we can come together, overcome our differences and sort our [expletive] out,” he said.
The back- and-forth jabs between Oliver and
Boughton started in August when the “Last Week Tonight” host teased the city in a rant that lasted several minutes, inviting its residents to “come get a thrashing” — children included.
“If you are going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury because — and this is true — [expletive] Danbury. From its charming railway museum, to its historic hearthstone castle, Danbury Connecticut can eat my whole a—,” Oliver said during the segment.
In response, Boughton shared a video on social media, saying the city would rename its waste processing facility after Oliver.
“Why?” Boughton said in the video. “Because it’s full of [expletive], just like you, John.”
Oliver then upped the ante by offering to donate $ 55,000 to local charities if Boughton followed through on his promise.
Boughton eventually agreed to the renaming as long as Oliver came to Danbury for the ribbon-cutting.
Two weeks ago, the Danbury City Council approved the name change during a virtual meeting Oliver said he watched.
“The vote was postponed until last Thursday, which is how I found myself at home watching Danbury’s city council meeting on Zoom with bated breath,” Oliver said during Sunday’s show.
In response to a city councilman who voted against the renaming because of Oliver’s challenge of violence, the host said he clearly was not a threat to anyone.
“I have the physical presence of al dente spaghetti,” Oliver said. “If I was a boxer, then my weight class would be not-detected, and my entrance music would be Norma Jean’s ‘Please Don’t Hurt Me.’ I am fragile.”
But Oliver stood his ground regarding his comments about Danbury.
“I regret nothing,” he said in response to a councilman saying he hoped the host came to terms with what he said about the city.
Oliver thanked Boughton and Danbury, saying he could not be more proud to have the plant named after him. He then ran off camera cheering.