Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has been randomly “feuding” with Danbury, Connecticut, a city of about 80,000 people.

A few weeks back, Oliver spent part of two episodes of his weekly HBO news/comedy series first mocking Danbury and then responding to Danbury’s response. The latter included Danbury’s mayor offering to name a town sewage treatment plant after Oliver because, as the mayor said, it was also “full of crap.”

Oliver, as he’s wont to do, gleefully encouraged this, and even offered to make various charitable donations if the city were to indeed follow through. And now, according to this Associated Press report, they’re on the verge of doing just that thanks to receiving approval from the city council.

Via the AP:

It’s official. Every time residents of Danbury, Connecticut, flush, they will be sending their special deliveries to the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant.

The City Council voted 18-1 Thursday night to rename the sewage plant after the comedian, who began a tongue-in-cheek battle with Danbury when he went on an expletive-filled rant against the city on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” in August.

Mayor Mark Boughton didn’t waste any time responding on social media. He posted a video of himself at the sewage plant saying the city was going to name it after Oliver.

“Why?” the Republican mayor asked. “Because it’s full of crap just like you, John.”

The mayor has capitalized on the attention, and notes that the money raised is plenty of incentive to play along with a joke, especially as Danbury is, essentially, getting the last laugh.

Boughton said Friday that the feud has been a good distraction from the coronavirus and other troubles of the times. He also said Oliver’s promised donations have helped spur local fundraising efforts for area food banks that could end up collecting a few hundred thousand dollars to feed needy families.

The mayor added he will be offering tours of the sewer plant for $500 donations to local food pantries.

“I think it’s been a home run. It’s been a lot of fun,” Boughton said of the spat. “If I can put food on people’s table for Thanksgiving by naming a sewer plant after a very popular comedian, we’ll do it all day long.”

Oliver has offered to provide the new sign for the plant that includes his name, as well as attend the ribbon-cutting, Boughton said. A timeline has not been finalized.

So, there you go. As with a lot of less desirable things, this story reaches its endpoint: the John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant in Danbury, Connecticut.

[AP, image via HBO]

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.