What did John Oliver say about trans athletes? Ben Shapiro questions why the comedian was given the US citizenship after his segment

On the April 10 episode of The Ben Shapiro Show, commentator Ben Shapiro launched a critique of comedian John Oliver following his April 7 segment on transgender athletes. Ben Shapiro called it “the stupidest segment of the week,” accusing Oliver of ignoring biological differences and misrepresenting science.

“The stupidest segment of the week. It comes courtesy of John Oliver, who should immediately have his citizenship revoked,” Shapiro said.

He added:

“I don’t know what he added for the country except for an obnoxious smarminess and his British accent.”

John Oliver’s episode of Last Week Tonight examined how media and political narratives often frame transgender athletes, especially in women’s sports.

He challenged the idea that trans athletes inherently have unfair advantages and emphasized that medical transitions like hormone therapy significantly affect athletic performance. Ben Shapiro responded by claiming that Oliver was pushing ideology over science and promoting unfair standards in competitive sports.

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What did John Oliver say about trans athletes?

In the April 7 episode of Last Week Tonight, the British Comedian John Oliver spoke about the ongoing debate around transgender athletes. He said that a lot of people use selected data and emotional arguments rather than talking about the actual science.

“When it comes to trans athletes who’ve medically transitioned, studies of cis-athletes are not necessarily relevant,” Oliver said.

Oliver explained that while there are natural physical differences between men and women, those comparisons do not always apply to transgender athletes, especially those who have gone through medical transition, like hormone therapy. According to him, hormone treatments can change body structure, which may affect athletic performance.

Oliver also emphasized the lack of comprehensive research on transgender athletes, pointing out that even experts on both sides of the debate agree that the available data is limited. He criticized media outlets for amplifying rare and extreme cases, suggesting they do not reflect the typical experiences of most trans athletes.

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Ben Shapiro accuses Oliver of ignoring science and fairness in sports

76th Primetime Emmy Awards - Oliver at Arrivals (Image via Getty)

Reacting to Oliver’s segment, Ben Shapiro argued that it ignored biological realities in the name of progressive ideology. He said that Oliver’s position suggested that men and women have equal capabilities in sports regardless of gender identity, which Shapiro rejected.

“He actually believes it’s necessary to defend the idea that men should punch women in a boxing ring,” Shapiro said.

He disputed Oliver’s dismissal of comparative studies between cisgender male and female athletes, claiming that hormone therapy does not erase physical advantages tied to male puberty.

“He’s like, you know, we can’t look at studies that say men are stronger than women because we’re now talking about men who’ve had hormone treatments,” Shapiro said.

According to Shapiro, ignoring these distinctions undermines fairness in women’s sports. He accused Oliver of being “ideological rather than scientific” and framed the segment as an attempt to trivialize legitimate concerns raised by female athletes.

Ben Shapiro’s criticism came days after author J.K. Rowling also took issue with Oliver’s segment. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rowling said, “It’s time to read the f—ing room,” referencing Oliver’s dismissal of arguments about fairness in women’s sports. She accused him of trivializing the concerns of female athletes.

As of now, John Oliver has not responded publicly to Ben Shapiro’s remarks.