John Oliver takes tobacco out in the barn and shoots it. Finding historical footage of tobacco executives talking out their you-know-whats, he finds some precious moments, especially of smug former Phillip Morris CEO Joseph Cullman saying in 1971: “It’s true women who smoke have smaller babies, but that doesn’t mean they’re less healthy. And some women,” and here the CEO smirks, “would prefer having smaller babies.”
But that’s just for starters. Oliver exposes the carcinogenic methods the tobacco companies are still using to beat back public health laws that block their advertising, especially in poor countries. So he introduces “Jeff, the Diseased Lung in a Cowboy Hat, the new face of Marlboro.” Jeff is a nod to the fact that 3 out of the 4 rugged men who played the iconic “Marlboro man” in advertisments died of lung cancer. Help Oliver crush the weed at the hashtag #JeffWeCan. Check out the bit below.