Last Week Tonight host, John Oliver had his soap dreams come true on not one, but two long-running daytime dramas, heralding it his “hot soap summer” on the Sunday night, August 16 edition of his HBO series.

As viewers recall, Oliver’s tour of soap duty began back in March when he made a request and an offer to appear in any daytime drama that would have him with certain conditions, which included: having a ridiculous and over the top character name, a juicy storyline, and a slap.

Both Days of Our Lives and General Hospital came a-calling for Oliver, taking him up on his offer and in short order. Oliver appeared on GH in the role of the head of the WSB named  Z on episodes airing July 2-6, and then on DAYS in the role of Salem’s chief water inspector, Devlin St. John, in episodes that streamed the week of August 11.

Photo: ABC

FIRST STOP, PORT CHARLES

On Last Week Tonight, Oliver shared that both soaps delivered, and then launched into a comedic send-up complete with clips from some of his scenes. Starting with General Hospital.

Oliver said, “To General Hospital’s credit, they met all my requirements and more. First, my character got to arrive by a helicopter flanked by a pair of armed goons. And I got to do a dramatic walk during which I bravely shot in the general direction of a guy who was already on the ground. It’s called being an action star, by the way, unless you’re me or Vin Diesel, you really wouldn’t understand. And then in my next scene, I revealed my true identity. (Oliver played the scene where Josslyn wakes up in a hospital bed with Z standing at the side of her bed introducing himself).

He continued, “As for getting slapped, well, they knocked that and me out of the park too, because it turns out that agent’s mother was not happy with me,” explained Oliver, as they cut to the slap of Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) in the WSB Port Charles bureau office on Z. Oliver screamed, “YES! It has everything! A slap, a dramatic closeup, and me doing a voice so wrong, it is genuinely embarrassing. That was my honest attempt at an American accent. I can’t tell you why it’s southern. I can only tell you I was trying my hardest.”

Photo: ABC

SECOND STOP, SALEM

Then, came John’s wrap-up of his role of Devlin St. John on Days of Our Lives, the town’s chief city water inspector. “It is on Days of Our Lives I appeared in scenes alongside soap legends like Jackée Harry (Paulina) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie). And the Days of Our Lives team met my demands in a whole different way because instead of being an international spy boss, they wrote me a character a little more my speed.”

Cut to a clip of Oliver introducing himself as Devlin St. John to Rita. He explains, “I’m the only thing standing between this town and a catastrophic plumbing failure. A literal sewage apocalypse. They made me Salem’s Chief City Water Inspector, which let’s be honest, is perfect casting. If you’re going to bottle my essence and sell it as cologne, it would be called ‘Chief City Water Inspector.'”

DEVLIN’S WIG

The late night host also clarified all the reports, that the wig he wore for his DAYS character he actually brought from home. “Now, as for the hair, I agree, it’s absolutely incredible. It’s been reported this past week that it is a wig I brought to set from home. And while it wasn’t technically from home, we did actually provide that wig, and for good reason,” joked Oliver. “I’ve seen myself act. I knew the hair was going have to do 90% of the work. I’ll be honest, I was going for a healthy John Stamos (ex-Blackie, GH) look, but instead, it appears I ended up looking more like Tina from Bob’s Burgers.”

Photo: Corday Productions

“And if you’re wondering whether I got slapped on Days of Our Lives, not only was I slapped by a man wearing elegant silk pajamas (EJ), I also got to slap him, which felt utterly incredible. But wait, I was also stabbed with a syringe and not once, not even twice, but three different times. And if that wasn’t enough, this happened too.” At that point, Oliver played the clip of Rita using the taser on Devlin.

JOHN OLIVER LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR A SOAP RETURN

The now late night star-turned-soap actor concluded his segment with, “Are you not entertained? Watching that makes me feel the way I assume Matt Damon felt after seeing the first cut of the Odyssey, both proud and impressed that my body could even do that. Which again, you wouldn’t understand. You’re not an action star like I am now. ”

As he ended his recap, Oliver thanked both soaps for playing along, and noting that neither DAYS or GH actually killed him off! Could a John Oliver return happen down the line? Stay tuned.

Watch John detail his soap dreams come to life on General Hospital and then Days of our Lives below.

Now let us know, what did you think of the performances of John Oliver on General Hospital and Days of our Lives? Did you prefer one over the other or enjoy both of his guest arc visits? Could you see Oliver nominated in the Guest Performer category at next year’s Daytime Emmys, even for a 3-episode run on one of the soaps? Let us know in the comment section.

 

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‘Last Week Tonight’ host, John Oliver wrapped his three-episode run on Days of Our Lives on the Friday, August 14 episode of the Peacock streaming soap opera, where viewers learned the fate of his character, the Salem chief water inspector, Devlin St. John.

Oliver got all of wishes granted and got to revel in some soap tropes on Friday’s episode which included: a slapping fest, a mind-erasing drug and case of amnesia, and exiting through a Days of our Lives staple … the cryogenic chamber! This leaves the door open for Devlin St. John return down the line, since many characters come back to life from years on end in the said chamber.

Here’s what went down! In the pick-up from Oliver’s cliffhanger earlier in the week, Devlin St. John was drugged by EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) and Rita Lesley (Maggie Carney). Now Rita prepared a syringe filled with CRS-17 to wipe out the last 24 hours of his memory, so the water inspector would get out of EJ’s way. However, there was a twist!

Courtesy/Peacock

DEVLIN ST. JOHN MUST BE DEALT WITH

Before the drug took its full effect, a dazed Devlin woke up very disoriented, believing he had been ‘compromised.’ Next, we get (as previewed), the showdown between Devlin and EJ, where Devlin stands up to EJ telling him he will not allow him to “gut” his brain, and calling him a “budget Bond villain!” In return, EJ calls Devlin a “sanctimonious little parasite,” which leads to St.John slapping EJ and vice-versa.

From there, things take an even more over-the-top soap turn. After his 24-hour amnesia took effect, Devlin managed still hear incriminating intel within the DiMera mansion. Rita realizes she must get rid of St. John for good, but she has developed feelings for him in short order. Rita admits she has developed a crush on the chief water inspector, so she cannot bring himself to kill him.

Courtesy/Peacock

JOHN OLIVER TO ADDRESS DAYS AND GH ROLES ON SUNDAY’S LAST WEEK TONIGHT?

However, next Rita has Devlin in a wheelchair and brings him into EJ’s underground cryogenic chamber. Once he is physically in the chamber, she kisses him on the lips, before she shoves him into the chamber with her parting words, “All you need is faith that you’ll return one day.”

Thus ends the soap opera journey of John Oliver from his three-day guest stint in July on General Hospital in the role of Z, the head of the WSB, to his campy role with the wig he brought to set as Devlin St. John on DAYS. It was back in March, Oliver revealed his list of requirements to any soap opera that would have him: a soapy name, a dramatic close-up and tag, slapping, and a juicy storyline.

Hopefully, Oliver will finally talk about his experiences on Days of Our Lives and General Hospital on this Sunday’s episode of ‘Last Week Tonight on HBO which should be a must-see.

So, what did you think of how John Oliver’s Devlin St. John was written out of Days of Our Lives? How did you like his run on DAYS as compared to GH? Both very different, for sure. Let us know via the comment section below.

Days of Our Lives continues to be all over pop culture in 2026 with A-list celebrities who have shared their love of the long-running soap opera set to turn 61 this November.

First came word of Ryan Gosling’s admiration of Deidre Hall (Marlena) and his love for the show. Next, came ‘Last Week Tonight’ host, John Oliver’s desire to visit Salem, which came to fruition, and now Hall, the iconic star of the series, has invited Oscar winner, Julia Roberts to do a guest stint on the soap, too.

Roberts had been a known fan of Days of Our Lives for decades. During Monday’s Backlot Pass Day, which showcased upcoming original television and streaming line-ups for NBC and Peacock, Hall walked the carpet to talk to reporters.

Photo: JPI

When she spoke with PauseRewind, Hall shared what other celebrity she would like to see show up in Salem, “You know, Julia Roberts is a very big fan,” recalled Hall. “I think she must have some downtime somewhere. So, Julia, come on by, babe.’

Hall, who is celebrating this year her 50th year as Dr. Marlena Evans, added that she has met Roberts several times at award shows. “She was just sort of gobstruck, (and it) wasn’t about me, it was the show. ‘The people sitting behind me are from my show.’ She was so cute,” added Hall.

RYAN GOSLING UPDATE

In addition, Deidre offered an update on her collab with Ryan Gosling, where fans everywhere are hoping to see scenes with Marlena and a character written for Gosling. He ‘has yet to come,’ acknowledged Hall.

As for John Oliver, who this week can seen on three episodes of Days of Our Lives (August 11, 12 and 14), Hall said of meeting him at the DAYS set, “I was there for John Oliver. He is so adorable and easy to work with. He’s thrilled to be there, part of the gang. There was no hesitation, just a dream to have him there because we appreciate his comedy and his history.”

Photo: JPI

A MARLENA STORYLINE YET TO BE TOLD

Deidre also spoke on storylines she had yet to do over five decades, since she has played almost everything imaginable, including being possessed by the devil twice in a lifetime! “Marlena has not been disabled, and 50 years you’d think at some point she would have fallen out a flight of stairs, or lost her hearing, or lost her sight, or something,” expressed Hall.

“I have thought at some point it would be interesting if Marlena had a patient who was hearing impaired, and the audience got to see what that looks like. Sign language is a beautiful, beautiful thing, and it would be interesting for them to see it,” added Deidre.

As it turns out, Deidre learned sign language along with her sister, Andrea (ex-Samantha and Hattie, DAYS) when her twin sister welcomed a young deaf student in her class (Andrea is a special education teacher) and had to quickly learn the language to better accommodate her needs.

So, would you like to see Julia Roberts next up on the growing list of celebrities to make their way to Salem? If so, who should she play? Weigh-in via the comment section below.