Did you know that April Fools Day was invented by FDR in 1934 as a way to raise national morale during the Great Depression? If so, youre lying and youve just fallen for a premature April Fools fromLast Week Tonighthost John Oliver. With HBOs satirical news series on a one-week break, Oliver filmed the web exclusive as a pre-April 1st plea to end the serious problem of practical joking.
Pranks are terrible, Oliver says in the clip. Anyone who claims to be excited for April Fools Day is probably a sociopath because what theyre really saying is, I cant wait to hurt the people close to me.' The host forces his audience tovisualize the most amazing practical joke ever and then scoldsthem for even considering it.
Oliver closes the segment by asking his audience to take theNo-Prank Pledge, a hilarious vow to cease Fools Day tomfoolery.
I solemnly swear that on this April Fools Day, I will not post a fake engagement photo on Facebook like some kind of asshole, the audience recites in unison before tripping over their words. Nor will I perpetuate a celebrity death hoax because that makes people sad. In fact, I will not play any practical jokes, and if I see someone planning a prank, I will say to them, Hey, youre being a dick right now. Stop being a dick. Stop being a dick. Seriously, stop being a dick.
By putting an end to April Fools, the host concludes, we canrestore the original meaning of April 1st, the day we traditionally look at our calendars and think, Oh, shit, I really need to do my taxes!'