A city in Connecticut has officially renamed its sewage treatment plant the “John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant,” the latest development in comedian John Oliver’s lighthearted battle with the city.
The Danbury City Council voted 18-1 to rename the sewage plant during a virtual meeting on Thursday after the comedian criticized the town on his show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
“Yup… it’s official, the Danbury Sewer Plant is now the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant.,” Mayor Mark Boughton (R) said on Twitter. “Your move John. Bam!”
With the new name, Oliver will also donate $55,000 to local charities, following through on the promise he made if the city went ahead with actually renaming the plant.
“I will happily do all of that if and only if your mayor makes good on his promise to officially name that sewage plant after me because I want this,” he said at the time. “I need this.”
Boughton had said on Facebook that the city planned to name the plant for Oliver after he criticized the town on his show during a segment last month.
“Why? Because it’s full of crap, just like you, John,” Bougthon said in a Facebook video.
The HBO personality said he was surprised but delighted at the idea, but then slammed the city for not immediately following through after the mayor said the video was made “in jest.”
“Wait, so you’re not doing it? Aw f— you, Danbury,” Oliver said. “You had the first good idea in your city’s history, and you chickened out on the follow through. What a classic Danbury move. Listen, I didn’t know that I wanted my name on your shit factory, but now that you floated it as an option, it is all that I want.”
During a segment on the Aug. 16 episode, Oliver was discussing racial disparities in jury selection, and reported that the residents of Hartford and New Britain were excluded from selection.
He suggested forgetting about Danbury, saying, “From its charming railway museum to its historic Hearthstone Castle, Danbury, Conn., can eat my whole ass.”
“If you’re going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury?” he asked.