John Oliver Debuts Shocking New Look for General Hospital Guest Role

Emmys 2025: What John Oliver Said That Got Bleeped During Acceptance Speech

John Oliver is ready for his close-up.

The Last Week Tonight host is about to make his soap opera acting debut on not one iconic TV series, but two famed daytime dramas.

"You may remember back in March, we discovered that Stephen A. Smith has been politely playing the role of Brick on General Hospital for the last 10 years, which filled me with, in equal measure, immense confusion and scorching hot jealousy," Oliver recounted during the June 28 episode of his weekly HBO talk show. "So, I did the only thing any sane person would do in that situation: I offered myself to any soap opera that would create a role for me."

For fans who didn't catch Oliver's public plea earlier this year, he recapped, "I wanted to play a character with a ridiculous name, I wanted a juicy storyline like murder or slapping, and I wanted a dramatic close-up of my face."

And now, his dream has officially come true.

The comedian revealed a first look at his upcoming appearance on General Hospital, including a shocking hair transformation for the mystery role.

"Yes, that is me, surrounded by men with guns, and yes, my hair has been dipped in an ink well," Oliver joked in the preview of his jet-black hair, "and if you cannot tell from my face there, I’m acting really hard. I’m acting my hardest. In fact, I don’t want to brag, but they did say that of any guest star they’ve ever had. I used the most takes."

While details surrounding Oliver's three-episode character arc are being kept under wraps until his July 2 debut, General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini teased what the 49-year-old was really like to work with.

"He was everything you’d hope he’d be: Prepared, professional, funny and genuinely kind to everyone on set," Valentini said in a June 29 statement. "He plays an integral character in the story, and I can’t wait for fans to see who he crosses paths with in Port Charles."

HBO/Disney/Chris Bartolucci

Oliver is more than ready for his moment, adding, "General Hospital was everything I hoped it would be. It’s a true honor to be a small stain on the history of this illustrious show."

But ABC wasn't the only network who happily answered Oliver's soap opera plea, as the U.K. native revealed he also landed a three-episode storyline on Peacock's Days of Our Lives—complete with an even more hilarious makeover.

After revealing a pic of himself in character wearing a voluminous banged wig, the funny man joked, "What I love most about that photo is that even though you can only see the back of the other actor’s neck, you can tell how much I visually don’t belong anywhere near him. His back is an L.A. 10, and my front is a Middle-earth three."

Corday Productions/Chris Haston

Jokes aside, Oliver confessed he "genuinely cannot wait for everyone to see what these two soaps have done" to him.

"I am so grateful that they played along with us," he concluded. "Does this look like a desperate man to you? Not to me, it doesn’t. That’s the face of a man living his f--king dream."

Catch Oliver on General Hospital July 2, 3 and 6 on ABC and on Days of Our Lives Aug. 11, 12 and 14 on Peacock.

In the meantime, keep reading for stars who surprisingly got their starts on soap operas.

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