John Oliver’s dreams of being a soap opera star are coming true!
The British comedian, 49, announced on the Sunday, June 28, episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight that he has booked gigs on both General Hospital and Days of Our Lives.
In March, Oliver appealed for a cameo on ABC’s long-running daytime soap General Hospital after discovering that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has played the recurring role of Brick for the past decade.
“When John Oliver publicly threw down the gauntlet and said he wanted to appear on a soap, we didn’t hesitate for a second. He was everything you’d hope he’d be: prepared, professional, funny and genuinely kind to everyone on set,” General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini said in a statement to Variety. “He plays an integral character in the story, and I can’t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths within Port Charles.”
“General Hospital was everything I hoped it would be. It’s a true honor to be a small stain on the history of this illustrious show,” Oliver quipped in a statement.
Oliver said on his show Sunday that he was “filled with scorching-hot jealousy” over Smith’s role on General Hospital.
“To be clear: Soap opera acting is not my Plan B,” the comedian said. “I simply offered my hypothetical acting abilities to any soap that would meet my terms, which were: I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy story line like murder or slapping and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face.”
It seems both General Hospital and Days of Our Lives, the stalwart NBC/Peacock soap, answered Oliver’s call.
“I am happy to say that I’ve already taped a week of episodes on Days of Our Lives, which is clearly a huge honor,” he said. “It’s been home to some of the most renowned soap opera actors like Deidre Hall, Susan Seaforth Hayes and John Aniston. It’s also featured guest appearances from legends like Dick Van Dyke, Betty White and now me.”
Oliver will appear in three episodes of General Hospital airing July 2, 3 and 6. His Days of Our Lives episodes air on August 11, 12 and 14.
General Hospital first began airing in 1963 and follows the lives of the residents of the fictional city of Port Charles, New York.
Days of Our Lives, meanwhile, is set in the fictional city of Salem, Illinois, and premiered on NBC in 1965. In 2022, it moved to streaming service Peacock.
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