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U.S. comedian John Oliver begs Toronto to elect Doug Ford

John Oliver discusses Doug Ford on 'Last Week Tonight' (Screengrab via Crooks & Liars)

Late-night American television has finally moved away from the “Rob Ford’s troubles are hilarious” trope, but if Sunday night’s episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is any indication, some of those comedians are praying for a sequel.

The outgoing Toronto mayor’s struggles with drugs, alcohol and video cameras were a treasure trove of content for late-night talk show hosts including John Stewart and Conan O’Brien. Most notably, Jimmy Kimmel sparked up a relationship with Ford, having the mayor down to Los Angeles to appear on the show live, and appealed for him to seek help for his addictions.

Since Ford sought counselling in May, those jokes have largely stopped. And with Ford ending his re-election campaign in September, after being diagnosed with cancer, they have ended entirely.

But as Oliver noted on Sunday, and Torontonians have known for years, “there is another. He has a brother.” And while Rob Ford was largely sympathetic, his brother (according to Oliver) is “just an asshole.”

While Rob Ford is no longer running for re-election as mayor, after stepping out of the race in September for health reasons, Doug’s name will appear on ballots today, Election Day in Toronto.

And, as Oliver notes, Doug’s short campaign has not been without controversy. He was booed during a recent debate when he inexplicably listed his roster of Jewish acquaintances: his Jewish accountant, Jewish doctor and Jewish lawyer.

The following day, Ford remembered that his wife was also Jewish, though in a taped interview she noted that her family doesn’t actively practice “Jewdism (sic)”.

Ford also reportedly called a Toronto Star reporter a “little bitch.” He defence was that he was actually calling somebody else a “little bitch.”

Says Oliver:

Look, Toronto. I think I speak for the rest of the world when I deliver you this message: Please, please elect this man.

Sure, his brother was f___ed, but at a certain point we felt bad for laughing at him.

Doug Ford doesn’t have a drug problem. He’s just an asshole… So, please Toronto, I beg you, let us laugh at your asshole for another four years.

Oliver is a former correspondent on the Daily Show with John Stewart who now hosts his own comedy news program on HBO. He has garnered positive attention for a series of smart, in-depth and humourous video essays on everything from American civil forfeiture laws to the Miss America Pageant.

Oliver’s takes as smart and funny in that order (though usually it’s a tight race), and his drive by on Doug Ford nails it again. Even at his worst, Rob Ford was a sympathetic character.

We don’t know exactly what Doug Ford is, though he has played the role of Rob’s political hit man for the past four years on council.

We know he has a Jewish wife that doesn’t practice “Jewdism (sic)”, and we know he thinks it’s OK to call someone a “little bitch,” as long as it’s never made clear who he’s actually referring to.

And now we know that U.S. comedians are ready to tee up on Toronto’s next mayor. If it turns out that Toronto’s next mayor is an asshole.