During last week's Last Week Tonight segment on sex work, Oliver made what some consider an off-color joke. “The main difference between sex work and working at Subway is at least in sex work you actually know what the customer is eating,” he said, adding: “And yet, some people feel highly uncomfortable with the very idea that sex is labor and therefore should be treated as such.” Oliver's joke was met with outrage on Twitter. In response, Ashley Judd shared a video made by World Without Exploitation, an organization whose goal is to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation across the globe. "John Oliver compared prostitution to making sandwiches at Subway,” the caption read alongside a video featuring sex work survivors reading an open letter to the host. “Survivors listened to John Oliver. Now it’s time for John Oliver to #ListenToSurvivors," it concluded.
TOPICS: John Oliver, HBO, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Ashley Judd