John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is on hiatus this week and next, but the host of the popular Sunday night HBO show offered up a web exclusive video to explain how much he enjoys lying to fans.
"There is absolutely nothing more fun than lying confidently about history," Oliver explained. "Lying is incredibly fun. In fact, the only thing that feels better than lying to someone is lying to someone -- then regaining their trust -- and then lying to them again."
"Studies have shown it produces the same effect in the human brain that cocaine does," Oliver stated before adding, "Actually there was no such study but it felt great saying it out loud so it seems like a fact."
With that, Oliver announced the publication of his new book "Stranger Than Truth: John Oliver's 101 Favorite History Lies" in the spring by Simon & Schuster.
"Next spring it will be produced by Simon & Schuster who I chose to work with given their wealth of experience printing the factual-sounding bullsh*t of mister Dr. Oz. So you knew they could do it well."
Oliver proceded to list off an assortment of "historical facts" involving Paul Revere, Winston Churchill, Saddam Hussein, along with the "fact" that Irish step dancing was invented by farmers in County Cork who "used to kill pesky field mice by strapping slabs of wood to their feet and rhythmically clobbering them to death."
Watch the video below from Last Week Tonight:
