John Oliver's Wild Auction: Bid on Russell Crowe's Jockstrap to Save Public Media Goes Viral

John Oliver is using an unconventional strategy to take a stand against the Trump administration's cuts to public media.

During an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the host announced a unique auction featuring some of the show's most memorable props, aiming to raise funds for local public media stations after Congress moved to eliminate $1.1 billion intended for public broadcasting.

At the center of the auction? The infamous jockstrap worn by Russell Crowe during the filming of Cinderella Man. Longtime fans will remember how Oliver revealed in April 2018 that his show had purchased this distinctive item for a whopping $7,000 during Crowe's "divorce auction." The auction featured other gems from Crowe's career, including seat backs from American Gangster, the vest he donned in Les Miserables and more.

The auction supports the Public Media Bridge Fund, designed to provide financial backing to local stations. Crowe's jockstrap currently has bids exceeding $20,000!

In true Last Week Tonight style, the auction catalog is a mix of the practical and the downright absurd.

Among the 65 items up for grabs, potential buyers can look forward to bidding on “Mrs. Cabbage Oliver,” a cabbage which Oliver humorously “married” in the show's ninth season, currently going for $10,000. There's also an autographed bucket of dolls that washed ashore in Texas, priced at $2,500, and a colossal sculpture depicting President Lyndon B. Johnson’s s-----, featured in a memorable season 12 segment about presidential libraries.

“It is true in July, Congress approved [Donald] Trump's plan to eliminate the [Corporation for Public Broadcasting]'s funding entirely,” Oliver stated during the auction announcement. “This is just one of many egregious actions this administration has taken, which is why the number one search on Google this year is probably going to be, 'Wait, can the government do that?' This understandably has upset a lot of people.”

He continued, “What can we do? Ideally, we would work on a long-term plan for how the CPB is funded. Sadly, we do not live in that universe right now, and until we do, public media is in a dire situation.”

However, Oliver reminded viewers that all hope isn't lost. Concerned individuals can donate directly to the broadcasting stations that need help by visiting adoptastation.org. Or, if you're feeling lucky, you can bid on legendary items like Crowe's jockstrap or LBJ's infamous sculpture!