John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight returned on Sunday with a searing segment focused on conservative radio host Alex Jones, raising questions about how Jones encourages his listeners to fund InfoWars, and whether or not his platform would truly collapse without it.
Jones, who has used his radio show to call the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting a “hoax,” frequently sells products touted to protect users from outside influence or danger. These range from water filtration systems to Vitamin D supplements. But while selling these products, Jones also underlines how badly he needs listeners to purchase these products by threatening that InfoWars’ doors might shutter without the financial support that comes from these items. This is despite Jones admitting that the show grosses anywhere between $45 and $50 million a year, and that he owns at least one Rolex watch, which are worth several thousand dollars a piece.
Jones also prominently features a medical expert on the show to vouch for the effectiveness of the products. Oliver’s investigative team delved into Dr. Edward Group III’s medical credentials, and upon scrutiny, found that he did not graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as he has claimed. While he does have a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Texas Chiropractic College, Group admitted to Oliver’s team that he does not have an undergraduate degree. He also did not graduate from MIT, according to university officials. Group only completed a non-degree certificate program there, despite claiming he is an alumni. Take a look at the segment for yourself.
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