Watch John Oliver emotionally urge voters to support Kamala Harris

In the end, John Oliver was swallowed Last week tonight as he encouraged undecided voters to support Kamala Harris in the US presidential election.

The late-night host appeared visibly emotional during Sunday night's episode as he confirmed he was voting for Harris. He also acknowledged that in the run-up to the election, he mostly emphasized reasons not to vote for Donald Trump rather than addressing Harris' proposed policies.

“There's a pretty clear reason for this: Picking apart policy proposals when the alternative is Trump is like debating what color the living room should be painted when the house is on fire,” Oliver said. “You have to somehow prioritize the immediate threat.”

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The 47-year-old admitted that he has had “a lot of problems” with the Biden-Harris administration over the past four years, particularly when it comes to immigration and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “I understand why a message from me might not be welcome either,” he said. “But I have been moved by some Muslim and Arab voices who have also thought deeply about this issue and, despite their pain, have come to the conclusion to vote for Harris.”

One of those voices is Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman — a Palestinian-American congresswoman who was denied a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention this year — who posted a TikTok last month explaining why she is in this election cycle still voting for Harris. She has since reportedly voted for Harris in Georgia and is pairing her vote with a protest vote in another Democratic-led state.

Oliver also claimed that Trump would not address these important issues better, adding: “The damage of a second Trump term would extend well beyond the next four years and weigh on any potential progressive president in the future.”

He also fully admitted that his words may not be the balm viewers are currently looking for. “I know it’s not inspiring to hear this, but politics isn’t always inspiring,” Oliver said. “It’s a transaction. It rarely lives up to our greatest hopes and dreams.”

However, he continued: “Elections alone are not efficient for big change, but they are absolutely necessary for it to ever happen.” Because it is the day when you essentially get to decide who you want to promote over the next four years and from where you want to promote it.”

“Look, I love this country. I am an immigrant. I chose to be here. In the words of the late, great Lee Greenwood, “I'm proud to be an American,” he said, fighting back tears. “And I would argue that there is nothing more American than having a healthy, adversarial relationship with those in power, even if you voted for them.”

After acknowledging that his speech wasn't exactly encouraging, Oliver ended the segment by showing viewers a possible silver lining: If Trump loses this election, he likely won't be able to run for office again.

“I know he would put us through hell before he left the stage, but when the dust settled he would have lost two elections in a row and would be campaigning next time as an 82-year-old. I think he would be ready,” he said. “And doesn’t that sound great? I know – the problems of which he is a symptom would of course remain, but we would no longer have to deal with him. Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where he’s no longer an active threat, but just a nuisance?”

He concluded: “I really want to live in this world and I hope that in the next 48 hours everyone does everything they can to make this world possible.”

Watch Oliver talk about the election in the clip above.