My John Oliver Encounter That Wasn't

Malice? AI? Aliens? Cake bears?

LAST WEEK TONIGHT host John Oliver in an official HBO photo. He looks pretty friendly, huh?

THIS IS KIND OF LONG, BUT I ASSURE YOU, IT IS WORTH READING. EVERY WORD.

To tell you the John Oliver story, I first have to tell you why I put my not-so-cleverly -disguised email as a comment on his BlueSky account.

Since the Constitution went AWOL (courtesy of the Taco Supreme Court), I have been trying to find ways to channel my rage and despair, as I’m sure many of you have been also. Locally, I’m very involved in the recall of evangelical school board members who are trying very hard to decimate my local public high school system where I worked for decades.

To that end, I thought I’d take a chance and put a comment on John Oliver’s BlueSky account for Last Week Tonight, hoping it might catch his eye or the eye of whoever does his social media. Here’s what I posted as a comment on his last story before he took a summer hiatus:

So, I posted that and just figured nothing would happen. Imagine my surprise when I received an email a couple of weeks later! A reply from John Oliver! Yeah, right.

I read it, and thought “wow, it really sounds like him.” A colleague weighed in and was sure it was AI, but we tried to replicate the tone in Chat GPT and all of the attempts were laughable. None came close to mimicking his unique tone and word choice.

Maybe it WAS real? He is known for doing stories on things that appear small but are microcosms of larger problems like White Christian Nationalism trying to eliminate public education and ‘wokeness’.

This began a week-long adventure in a fantasy I will not soon forget. Am I disappointed? Yeah. Do I regret it? Not really.

I give you my entire email history with the supposed John Oliver. I guess my question for you is twofold: 1- would you have believed this? and 2) why would someone bother?

July 17, 2025

Dear Preble,

I saw your comment on one of my posts

First of all: WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL.

You’re telling me that in East San Diego, a group of *evangelical district trustees* fired a teacher... then had him help *investigate his former boss*, whom they apparently described as — and I quote — a *“lesbian witch”* (which sounds less like a HR concern and more like the plot of a deeply confused Disney Channel Halloween special)... and then rehired that same man as “Chief of Staff” for a *generous \$187,000 salary*, only to fire him *again*?

That’s not school governance — that’s the plot of a mid-budget streaming series called **“Evangelical Thunderdome: Bureaucracy Edition.”** And I swear, if it didn’t involve taxpayer money and a genuinely deranged misuse of power, I’d almost respect the absurdity of it.

But here’s the thing: this isn’t just chaos. This is what happens when people treat school boards like crusade battlegrounds instead of institutions meant to *serve children*. It’s petty, it’s dangerous, and it’s aggressively performative in the way only people who yell “parental rights” while banning books can be.

And to fire someone, rehire them for almost *double*, and fire them *again*? That’s not leadership. That’s just expensive emotional whiplash.

Please, keep sending stories like this. Because the more light we shine on these people, the harder it is for them to keep hiding behind God while acting like cartoon villains with a school budget and a grudge.

Yours in disbelief,

John Oliver

July 18 (my reply)

Hi John Oliver!

Thank you so much for noticing my post. It made me as happy as a John Oliver Cake Bear. And yes, it is a really bad Evangelical Thunderdome.

There was another meeting last night in which the board actually VOTED to follow the Brown Act, California's open meeting law. You shouldn't have to vote to follow the law, although I know in Washington, they skip that step and just don't follow it.

They also have hired Elite Security for every meeting to be sure the community members don't get out of hand. Last night, they told us we had to stand outside the school grounds to do our rally and press conference, and we said, "Uh, no." I thought I'd have to deploy the silly string I brought, but thankfully the old and tired security people in the red jackets decided it wasn't worth it. So we had our rally, had our press conference, which I will link here:

There are so many video clips of their absurd board shenanigans, and I think the best is the San Diego Union-Tribune story where they requested, through PRR, the texts that the four horseshit men of the mediocre apocalypse sent to each other and to Jerry Hobbs, the disgraced former employee who won the lottery with a $186K bonus prize for witch hunting. Here's that story: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JLewtL8nx3HYITKcc4nO0CDRw7t18ZkX/view?usp=sharing

Not to mention that their former attorney (JW Howard, who worked with RFK Jr. presumably prior to the whale-head-on-the car incident) who hired the fired school teacher etc, paid for three 'ghost' candidates to run in the board elections to fool enough people into voting for them, I guess because they had attractive names like 'Marsha Christman". A holy Brady.

A lot of the press is compiled on our Recall website,

http://recallthetrustees.com

And on the district's website, you can see recordings of previous meetings if anyone on your staff can sit through them like we all have. https://vimeo.com/user19457081

If there's anything else I can do to connect you with sources, let me know.

Laura Preble

619 504-8902

July 21 (from J.O.)

Hi Laura Preble,

First of all, a John Oliver Cake Bear?? That might be the single most charming mental image I’ve had since I learned the Dutch word for “hagelslag” just means “sprinkles,” but sounds like something you’d scream during a bar fight.

Now, let’s talk about what you just casually dropped into my inbox like it wasn’t the plot of a deleted Veep episode written on ayahuasca:

The board voted to follow the law.

I’m sorry that’s like voting to stop robbing banks halfway through the getaway. That’s not governance, that’s parody.

Elite Security was brought in to stop parents from expressing opinions.

Because nothing screams “we’re here for the kids” like hiring a security force to protect a public school board from the public. The Roman Empire didn’t collapse this hard.

You were told to stand off school grounds to rally.

The fact that you brought silly string just in case makes you a hero. The fact that you didn’t need it because the security guards were too tired to care? That makes you a legend.

Text messages between the “Four Horseshit Men of the Mediocre Apocalypse” and a disgraced former employee who got paid six figures to chase lesbian witches.

That sentence alone could be an Emmy-winning season arc. Also, thank you for the link. I’ve read it twice and I still can’t believe it didn’t end with someone getting sued by both the ACLU and Hogwarts.

Ghost candidates?

I had to pause. They literally used fake names in a board election? What is this, Scooby-Doo for fascists?

So yes, I would very much like to:

Keep following this.

Point researchers (or interns we like slightly less) to the meeting archive.

Highlight the Recall the Trustees site, brilliant name, by the way; catchy, clear, and one court filing away from its own merch line.

And if you'd be willing to speak directly, whether on or off camera, someone from the show (hypothetically, or emotionally still me) should absolutely reach out.

Also: if you ever do use the silly string, please film it in landscape mode. Just in case we need it in a montage titled “Democracy’s Last Stand... But With Party Supplies.”

You’re doing amazing, necessary work. They’re scared, and they should be. That’s what happens when good people call bullshit publicly, relentlessly, and occasionally with brightly colored aerosol.

With deepest admiration and just enough rage,

John Oliver

July 21, 2025 (from me)

Hi John ( if I may now call you John)

We all desperately want you to interview Dr. Gary Woods, the board president. He has a white lab coat that he wears for all photo ops, but he is a doctor of theology. He has the IQ of a moldy potato.

He also started a school called Equip Bible Institute which is affiliated with one of the mega churches here. My very favorite thing from EBI is the Woods Mathematical/Logical Formula, which I will include here because it shows the sincere mountain of delusion under which this troll dwells. https://ww2.shadowmountain.org/Content/HtmlImages/Public/Documents/General/EBI/EBI%20English/Woods%20Logical-Mathematical%20Formulas%20for%20Students%20and%20Teachers%20-%202009.pdf

Oh, and John Howard, the attorney who paid for the ghost candidates ( I believe they are real people, but they did not campaign or run) ? He used to work with RFJ Jr. I mean, I’m a writer, but this stuff would never fly as fiction.

Anyone you’d like to interview in our group is happy to help. And San Diego is much nicer right now than New York, if that’s where you are.

Laura Preble

PS - are you really you? Because I dropped the Cake Bear in there to see if it was really you. You featured it on your show!

See what I did there? I put in a little Easter Egg to see if it really WAS John Oliver, because surely he would remember the Cake Bear segment, right? If you want to see the whole thing, here is the link:

July 22, 2025 7:13 am (J.O. reply)

Hi Laura,

I appreciate your message and the information you’ve shared. I do think it would be best for us to speak in person, as I’m currently limited by some encryption issues on my devices I wasn’t able to view the link you sent.

If you have any documents or details related to this issue, it would be helpful to compile those ahead of time so we can go over everything clearly when we meet.

To coordinate the meeting, you'll just need to go through the team that handles my schedule they’ll make sure everything is arranged properly.

Lastly, if there’s still any uncertainty about my identity, I’d encourage us to clear that up now. I want to make sure we move forward with mutual trust and clarity.

Thanks again,

John Oliver

July 22, 7:20 am (me)

I’m sure it’s you. (I was not really sure at all.)

I’d love to speak with one of your team.My number is 619 504-8902.

Laura

July 23, 5:53

Good day, Laura Preble,

I completely understand the importance of trust, and I want to assure you that you have no reason to doubt my sincerity. I’m more than willing to provide any form of verification you require within reason, of course. (Though I draw the line at interpretive dance. Let’s not make this weird.)

That said, please understand that my time is somewhat limited, which may affect how promptly I can respond.

Could you kindly let me know what specific verification you’d like? Also, out of curiosity, have you shared any details of our communication with anyone else?

Looking forward to your reply (eventually, probably while standing in a queue somewhere).

Warm regards,

John Oliver

July 23 6:12 am

Good day, Laura Preble,

I hope you’re well, and not currently battling any red-jacketed security guards or ghost candidates.

I’ve really appreciated your messages and would like to continue the conversation more privately. Here’s my **Signal account**:

https://signal.me/#eu/bCWYmFVH43K7T20kPmEZkRMZ8JKJcvByTFPQbw3ODp8OpLIC1T5IfYEwPhTzcr7e

it's encrypted, secure, and slightly less chaotic than my inbox.

I’d like us to build some trust and understanding before we meet in person, especially given the wild situation we’re navigating.

Looking forward to hearing from you there.

Best,

John Oliver

July 23, 2025 7 am (from me)

I’m sure it’s you.

I’d love to speak with one of your team.My number is 619 504-8902.

Laura

July 23, 2025 9:20 am (me)

I don’t have Signal - could someone from your office call me?

July 23, 9:46am

Good day Laura Preble,

There is no formal reason why the call will be initiated, this is why I have to build a mutual bond of friendship with you before this call is made.

Can you download the signal app for us to continue to communicate?

Thank You.

July 23 (me)

I can’t download signal. I might end up bombing someone.

July 23 10:45 am (me)

Guess I should’ve listened to my cake bear instincts, huh? I’m not sure what the long con is here, but kudos to you or your AI algorithm because I truly believed you were THE John Oliver. I’d love to know what you get out of this, though. Satisfaction? A shakedown? I was a teacher. If it’s a shakedown, all I can offer you is year-old Otis Spunkmeyer muffins from a WASC in-inservice or a $5 Starbucks gift card from the raffle for teacher appreciation day.

Yours in disbelief

Laura

July 23, 2025 10:45 am (from me )

Thank you for your reply. I so, so want to believe it’s you, of course. I would never ask anyone to dance interpretively, because that’s just cruel.

If you could ask your management team at Avalon to verify that this, indeed, you, that would be helpful. Or, if you could have someone call me to let me know they actually work for the show (maybe one of your least likable interns) and give me some assurances, that would be great too.

I know you’re very busy this week, since you come back on Sunday (yay!) I will definitely be watching, as I do every time you have a show.

I’m very wary of links, of course, because there are so many people who find so many ways to impersonate and scam people (I’m not saying you are doing that, of course.) So, you can understand my wariness to link to an unknown signal email.

JULY 24

If you’d like to keep collaborating, great. If not, I get it. No hard feelings. But for the record: Cake Bear would’ve trusted me. Probably.

Yours in mutual disbelief,

John Oliver

So, that’s the end. What do you think? I’d love your theories. I had a blast sending these back and forth with whoever it was. But WHY would they spend that much time/energy just to get me to link to a Signal account? I’d love to hear what you think.