Russell Crowe Has Named a "Koala Chlamydia Ward" In Honour of John Oliver, and He Loves It

It’s kind of a long story.

If you’re not a regular watcher of John Oliver’s weekly comedy lecture Last Week Tonight, you might be surprised—and probably confounded—to learn that Russell Crowe has founded a “Koala Chlamydia Ward” in Oliver’s name, as the final, friendly endgame to a well-meaning prank.

So, let’s take it back a few weeks.

Last month, Crowe sold of his personal effects and movie memorabilia at a self-deprecating but undeniably depressing auction titled “The Art of Divorce”. (He recently finalised a five-year separation from his wife, Danielle Spencer.)

Oliver, that wily Brit, caught wind of the auction and decided to purchase a bunch of random Crowe-pieces, including a jockstrap used by Crowe in Cinderella Man. That item alone fetched $US7,000, so this was no cheap joke.

The Last Week Tonight host then donated the items to one of the last remaining video stores in the world: a Blockbuster in Anchorage Alaska.

Crowe took it all in stride, saying he planned to spend Oliver’s money on “something special”.

So, in a video featuring the Irwin family, it was revealed that the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital have named their Koala Chlamydia Ward after John Oliver, in honour of his indirect donation.

On his latest episode, Oliver joked that he could now retire, having fulfilled his only professional goal: “a koala chlamydia ward”.

Given that the adorable koala population in Australia is actually riddled with chlamydia, causing blindness, infertility and sometimes death, this is truly the most heartwarming resolution to a story that began with Russell Crowe’s jockstrap we could have ever hoped for.

Photo: HBO