HARTFORD, Conn. _ It wasn't such a crappy deal after all: Danbury got money for charity and welcomed a celebrity during a pandemic, and comedian John Oliver got publicity, his name on the city's sewage treatment plant and material for his show.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton announced on Facebook early Monday that Oliver had visited the plant. The tongue-in-cheek ribbon-cutting apparently took place last week and solidified a deal that ended a series of back-and-forth jabs that started with the potty-mouthed Oliver's random cuts on Danbury during one of his summer shows.
Boughton's Facebook announcement was in the form of a picture and two sentences. The photo shows Boughton and Oliver, both wearing masks, next to a new sign proclaiming the plant the "John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant, Danbury CT."
"It was glorious," the mayor wrote. "Congratulations to Mr. John Oliver."
Within a few hours there were more than 100 comments, a vast majority of which were positive.
"Thanks for some fun during this horrible time!" one writer said.
Just last week, Danbury was named a COVID-19 hot spot. It is one of 11 "red alert" municipalities experiencing at least 15 daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.
Oliver came prepared, somewhat mockingly, wearing a puffy protective suit on the upper part of his body and a clear plastic cube over his head during the ceremony.
The ribbon-cutting was the last chapter in a series of tit-for-tats between Oliver and Boughton that started in August. During one of his "Last Week Tonight" shows on HBO, Oliver talked about problems with the jury system and mentioned how potential jurors from two cities in the state were left off a juror list. He then asked, "If you're going to forget a town in Connecticut, why not forget Danbury?" In his characteristic foul-mouthed way, Oliver blasted the small city for no apparent reason.
"From it's charming railway museum to its historic Hearthstone castle, Danbury, Connecticut can eat my whole (expletive)," he said.
In a witty response, Boughton offered to name the sewage treatment plant after Oliver. "Why? Because it's full of (expletive), just like you John," Boughton said in the Facebook video.
Boughton later said the offer was made in jest, but Oliver said he loved the idea.
"I didn't know that I wanted my name on your (expletive) factory, but now that you've floated it as an option, it is all that I want," he said in a follow-up segment.
Oliver then offered up $55,000 in donations _ $25,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, $25,000 to fulfill all of the requests from Danbury school teachers on DonorsChoose and $5,000 to ALS Connecticut. He said he'd also pay for a new sign outside the plant bearing his name.
Danbury's city council voted on Oct. 8 to rename the sewage treatment plant after Oliver. But there was a catch: Oliver had to show up in person.
Oliver did, but his visit was kept under wraps. The public wasn't invited.
But the comedian recorded it and ended his show Sunday with video from the mock ceremony.
Boughton cut the ribbon, and Oliver, with dramatic music playing in the background, said: "There is a reason this sewer plant means so much to me. And that's that it represents everything that we need the most right now. Because think about it: This place takes the worst that humanity can produce and transforms it into something that we can live with.
"And now more than ever, there's something inspirational in that," Oliver said. "Because at the end of this awful, awful year, what could be more important than evidence that if we want to, we can come together, overcome our differences, and sort our (expletive) out?"
