Last Week Tonight With John Oliver closed out last Sunday’s episode with a unique request. Following a story about people in Bolivia wearing Zebra costumes to direct traffic and cheer people up during traffic jams, Oliver asked, “If zebras can make Bolivian traffic jams better, what else could they help with?”
Turns out, the answer is just about anything:
This just made my week @iamjohnoliver @LastWeekTonight… oh @maddow @MaddowBlog 😂😂😂#justaddzebras pic.twitter.com/YPHS2awF8Y
— Kelly✨🇺🇦 (@Keljhou) March 20, 2017
They then uploaded 23 minutes of a zebra dancing in front of a green screen, which had some of us asking “Is this ASMR?” but no, it’s just material for the Internet to play with, and play with it they did. The task was to take stressful situations (like Paul Ryan ruining dabbing forever) and improve them with the zebra, tagging it #JustAddZebras.
We’ve collected some of our favorites, like the zebra preferring to watch a classic Chuck Berry performance (R.I.P.) to watching Toyota Lasagna on The View.
#justaddzebras Go Johnny Go!#lastweektonight pic.twitter.com/CBhkUtSP9P
— Ummmmmmikey (@ummmmmmmikey) March 20, 2017
That’s where we’ve seen that zebra before…
https://twitter.com/alexgaipo/status/843992409751064576
Stopping an inauguration? Would that it were so simple.
Thank you @LastWeekTonight for making things a little bit better #justaddzebras pic.twitter.com/01jrHaYstO
— Clara Ames (nee Sankey) (@claramsankey) March 20, 2017
BBC interview dad Robert E. Kelly just can’t get an uninterrupted moment.
https://twitter.com/JacobAWare/status/843850184316665856
The zebra provides a distraction during Mariah Carey’s absolute trainwreck of a New Year’s Eve performance.
#JustAddZebras
Dancing Zebra
Mariah Carey – New Years Eve 2017
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) pic.twitter.com/mgtZriFAEK— Striped Shirt Media (@StripedShirtM) March 21, 2017
The zebra brings some elegance to the weird Donald Trump, Jr. photoshoot.
https://twitter.com/mikalapaula/status/843684577508057088
The zebra seen here presumably pondering the nature of existence after a very awkward handshake.
This. #justaddzebras #LastWeekTonight #resist @LastWeekTonight pic.twitter.com/paaC11e2uX
— Shavè 🪒 (@andables) March 20, 2017
The zebra wasn’t having it when Trump ignored requests for a handshake with Angela Merkel.
https://twitter.com/fmward/status/843694517152759808
I would (possibly) watch this version of Beauty And The Beast.
As if this movie couldn't get any better #justaddzebras #BeautyAndTheBeast pic.twitter.com/Vzl3m2G9uv
— Nick Clark (@Nick__Clark) March 21, 2017
The zebra takes a pensive moment of rest to ponder FBI Director James Comey’s announcement of an investigation into White House ties to Russia:
https://twitter.com/natepence/status/843950610928013312
“The zebra doesn’t want you to shoot that ship, Donald…”
And here’s the Zebra waving the stop sign for Sean Spicer’s attempt to distance Paul Manafort from Trump.
https://twitter.com/joepenguionix/status/843926730372866048
Trump’s weirdass press conference becomes a cautionary tale.
You know what Uranium is right? #justaddzebras pic.twitter.com/Emo56oRyjM
— Fatih Yanik (@Fatih_Yanik_) March 20, 2017
The zebra found a way to make one of the strangest moments in Oscars history even stranger.
Zebras adding levity to awkward situations since 2017 . . . #justaddzebras #Oscar2017 #LastWeekTonight @iamjohnoliver pic.twitter.com/1MNkDhZWJq
— loganawilliams (@loganawilliams) March 20, 2017
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAM. Oliver just got incepted.
I spent an uncomfortable amount of time staring at John Oliver's face in editing this, but it was worth it. #justaddzebras pic.twitter.com/4kntAPECs9
— Teeka Stryker (@teekastryker) March 21, 2017
And perhaps my favorite of all because of how dryly absurd it is — the zebra provides some levity to FBI Director James Comey’s intel hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaLWdV9X2iM
(Via The Wrap and #JustAddZebras)