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Tobacco (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)

"Tobacco"
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver segment
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 2 (segment)
Presented byJohn Oliver
Original air dateFebruary 15, 2015 (2015-02-15)
Running time18 minutes
List of episodes

"Tobacco" is a segment of the HBO news satire television series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver about the tobacco industry. It first aired on February 15, 2015, as part of the second episode of the series' second season. During the eighteen-minute segment, comedian John Oliver discusses tobacco industry trends and practices.

Toward the end of the segment, Oliver introduces Jeff the Diseased Lung, a mascot he created for the American global cigarette and tobacco company Philip Morris International, the makers of Marlboro cigarettes. The anthropomorphic diseased lung, who smokes and coughs, has been compared to Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man. Oliver and his team promoted the cartoon character by sending shirts with Jeff's image to Togo and displaying billboards in Uruguay, and by encouraging use of the hashtag #JeffWeCan, which trended on Twitter following the broadcast.

After the segment, Philip Morris issued a response that received some criticism. The "Tobacco" segment received widespread media coverage, with several outlets praising Oliver's ability to launch successful marketing campaigns and change perceptions about smoking through the creation of the mascot. The Jeff caricature was later used at a May 2015 protest organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in New York City.