John Oliver says he 'failed' Dustin Hoffman interview about sexual assault allegations

'It became such a big story, but it became about my questions rather than [Hoffman’s] answers'

John Oliver has expressed disappointment over a tense interview with actor Dustin Hoffman where the late night TV host grilled him over allegations of sexual assault.

Hoffman had already apologised to Anna Graham Hunter – the first woman who to accuse him of sexual harassment which she alleged took place when she was a 17-year-old production assistant on the set of his 1985 film Death of a Salesman.

“I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am,” the actor said in a statement.

However a representative for Hoffman denies accusations by six other women who claim he harassed or assaulted them over 30 years ago, telling Variety they were “defamatory falsehoods”.

The Last Week Tonight host grilled the Oscar-winner during a Tribeca Institute 20th anniversary panel and screening of 1997 film Wag the Dog, during which Hoffman vehemently defended his behaviour and accused Oliver of “making a very quick judgement”.

“This is something we’re going to have to talk about because... it’s hanging in the air,” Oliver said, in reference to the allegations that he sexually harassed Graham-Hunter.

Audience members – including The Washington Post journalist Steve Zeitchik – were said to be “visibly shocked” by the interaction in which Oliver expressed disappointment in Hoffman’s original apology.

“It’s that part of the response to this stuff that pisses me off,“ Oliver stated. ”It is reflective of who you were. You’ve given no evidence to show that it didn’t happen. There was a period of time when you were a creeper around women. It feels like a cop-out to say: ‘Well, this isn’t me.’ Do you understand how that feels like a dismissal?”

Speaking on The Russell Howard Hour - his first British TV appearance in 12 years, according to Chortle - Oliver explained: “I knew the stories were out there, and I heard there were a few more coming, so [bringing them up] felt unavoidable. We had to have a discussion about it.”

Watch below [Hoffman discussion begins around 9.40 minutes]

Oliver also said that he had warned the event hosts he would confront Hoffman about the allegations.

“It became such a big story, but it became about my questions rather than [Hoffman’s] answers,” he said. “My questions weren’t particularly remarkable, his answers were… not great … it didn’t really go anywhere constructive, so the whole thing just made me feel sad.”

“I wanted it to become something more constructive,” he continued. “It was clear pretty early on that was not going to happen. I tried and failed.”

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