John Oliver Mocks Ted Cruz With Dr. Seuss-Style Rhyme After Senator Was Booed During ESPN Interview

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver mocked Ted Cruz on Sunday night’s show with a Dr. Seuss-style rhyme.

The poem was inspired by the Texas senator’s recent appearance on ESPN‘s College GameDay. Cruz was on the program to promote the Protect College Sports Act, a bill aimed at protecting “the name, image, and likeness rights of, and provide protections for, student athletes and to promote fair competition among intercollegiate athletics, and for other purposes,” according to the bill.

During Cruz’s roughly nine-minute appearance on ESPN, the crowd behind him loudly booed the senator and chanted “Ted, you suck.” His comments were nearly drowned out by the noise.

On Sunday night’s Last Week Tonight, Oliver noted that “the crowd gave him [Cruz] the exact reception he deserves.” After showing a clip of the interview, Oliver then launched into a poem in the vein of Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham:

I do not like that man Ted Cruz.
I do not like him on the news.
I do not like him talking sports.
I do not like him wearing shorts.
I do not like him on TV.
I do not like him trying to flee.
I do not like him in a tux.
But I love him being told he sucks.

For his part, Cruz posted on X about the interview afterward: “Whole crowd came on a blitz this morning, I stayed in the pocket. Never flinched. If we don’t pass the Protecting College Sports Act I could play for your favorite team. Call your Senator!”

Whole crowd came on a blitz this morning, I stayed in the pocket. Never flinched.

If we don’t pass the Protecting College Sports Act I could play for your favorite team.

Call your Senator! https://t.co/wcHlfS5gTM

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 12, 2026