Photo Credit: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver famously lambasted Live Nation/Ticketmaster for its “chokehold” on live entertainment. Now, he’s selling tickets for his comedy tour using Ticketmaster.

In 2022, comedian John Oliver famously dumped on Live Nation and Ticketmaster during a segment on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” He accused the live entertainment conglomerate of having a “chokehold” on the industry, holding customers and artists hostage by “strong-arm[ing]” them into using its platform and services.

“The DOJ recently alleged that [Live Nation] had repeatedly strong-armed venues into using Ticketmaster and retaliated against or threatened venues that did not use its services,” Oliver said.

But now, the Emmy winner has notably been using Ticketmaster for his comedy tour, which kicked off alongside Seth Meyers with a Beacon Theatre residency earlier this year. The first run of shows quickly sold out, so additional dates were added, with performances running through the end of the year.

Citi cardmember and Live Nation All Access presales are also available, further hinting at the comedian’s all-in approach to Ticketmaster. The Citi cardmember presale starts at 8 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 12, with an artist presale to follow at 10 AM. On Thursday, the All Access presale begins at 10 AM EDT, alongside a venue presale. Citi cardmember preferred tickets are available from Friday, August 14, at 10 AM EDT, ahead of the general sale, which starts at noon.

John Oliver and Seth Meyers still have four more shows scheduled at the Beacon Theatre from September 27 to December 13. Afterward, Oliver embarks on his solo comedy tour in Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; St. Petersburg, FL; and Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Those dates run from December 27 to December 31.

However, the partnership between John Oliver and Live Nation/Ticketmaster signals more about the truth in what the comedian said previously than any actual change in his stance. As most touring artists (be it music or comedy) will tell you, it’s difficult to avoid Live Nation/Ticketmaster and put on a serious tour.

Comedian Louis CK famously took on Ticketmaster in 2012—two years after the Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger—by bypassing traditional commercial ticketing platforms entirely for his tours. He was also an early adopter of selling his comedy specials on his website, rather than leaving it up to the likes of HBO and Netflix.

But even before that, grunge pioneers Pearl Jam spoke out about their concerns over Ticketmaster’s practices back in 1994. The band filed a complaint about the company with the Department of Justice, which led to a hearing and Pearl Jam speaking in front of Congress.

It’s strange, then, that a complaint triggering a “Justice Department civil investigation into possible anti-competitive practices in the ticket distribution industry” wouldn’t go further to prevent the Live Nation and Ticketmaster merger some 15 years later.

Now, in 2026, the industry is left wondering if the two companies will be forced to split as part of the outcome of the states’ recent trial against Live Nation/Ticketmaster. If so, it would signal the end to a partnership that many creatives say should never have happened in the first place.