With frontrunners ranging from reigning monarch Jimmy Fallon to rising prince James Corden, who are both dominating nightly television, crowning a new late night king is no small feat. However, from amidst the medley of evening talk show hosts who aspire to achieve greatness, there emerges a victor: John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.” During a time of political turmoil, Oliver manages to maintain a balance between lighthearted humor and serious issues by conveying factual information in a way that appeals to the masses as he rules from his cable kingdom.

Oliver’s trademark descriptive language and Photoshopped imagery make his message more memorable than the flippant remarks from another comedian.  The premise of “Last Week Tonight” involves taking current events from the past week, researching their roots and debriefing viewers with a rant-like monologue littered with vivid and verbose phrases. Like Fallon and Kimmel, Oliver also uses social media modes like Twitter to jumpstart trends. However, considering Fallon’s “hashtags” segment and Kimmel’s “mean tweets,” the trends created by Oliver are far more goal-oriented. They serve a dual purpose. Not only do they make Twitter users smile, but they also share information that is more relevant to our day-to-day life than #springraps or an offended celebrity cursing their response at the camera.

Although Oliver’s arguments are often profane, they are highly effective in making viewers think about the details surrounding current events in depth. For example, with Donald Trump rising as a potential and almost probable candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Oliver outrightly criticized Trump’s inflammatory comments regarding racial discrimination and the Islamic community as well as his glaring inconsistency in policy. “Whatever you think about Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, at least you basically know where they stand, but Trump’s opinions have been wildly inconsistent,” Oliver said. “He’s been pro-choice and pro-life, for and against assault weapon bans, in favor of both bringing Syrian refugees and deporting them out of the country, and that inconsistency has been troubling.” However, that was not the end of Oliver’s merciless assault on Trump’s clearly flawed campaign.

After the airing of his 18 minute long thorough tirade covering everything from the size of Trump’s hands to the absurdity of his financial plan regarding constructing a wall, Oliver’s slogan for the night #makedonalddrumpfagain, was trending on social media, receiving more hits than the name of any other candidate, excluding Trump himself. The hashtag poked fun at Trump’s blatant xenophobia by reminding him of his German ancestry.

Although Oliver’s show is only a weekly segment and the subject matter is unpredictable on most occasions, it is the most beneficial late night show. Fallon may also comment on worldly dilemmas, but he lacks the strong willedness to openly support a stance which may possibly offend anyone or anything directly. He hides behind costuming and subterfuge or laughs his way out of prospectively difficult situations. In contrast, Oliver does not dawdle around sensitive subjects like potential morning show queen Ellen DeGeneres, whose standpoint on issues and the actions of others has always remained as neutral as Switzerland unless it involved the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender  (LGBT) community or a widely accepted and heavily publicized notion.

Also, while Kimmel’s humor is heavily dependent on bits (his funniest being those involving his “court jester” Guillermo), Oliver is an independent force to be reckoned with.

He is not afraid of criticism or retribution when portraying controversial subject matter, instead walking openly into the arms of danger to make a statement. Oliver demonstrated heroic bravery through his visit to Russia as he charged forth like a knight in shining armor to talk face-to-face with legendary exile Edward Snowden. Snowden, a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), was forced to leave the United States after leaking classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the general public in 2013. When Oliver was interviewed on the “Tonight Show,”  Fallon himself expressed his shock and awe over the gutsy excursion.

Although it may be widely acknowledged that Fallon rules supreme on late night television, do not cast aside honest folk like Oliver who speak their minds and refuse to sugarcoat their opinions as they speak to their royal subjects. A royal seated upon the throne of truth, Oliver is strong-willed, unapologetic and more than ready to claim the crown that is rightfully his.