Russell Crowe‘s jock strap is back in John Oliver’s possession once again.
This marks the third time the Last Week Tonight host has taken ownership of the undergarment that Crowe wore in 2005’s Cinderella Man.
Here’s the backstory: In 1028, Oliver bought the item at an auction Crowe called “The Art of the Divorce.” He put up more than 200 items for sale in the wake of his divorce from Danielle Spencer.
Following the auction, Crowe told Good Morning Britain that the jock strap turned out to be “one of the most popular items” leading up to the event.
“It was my jock strap when I won the heavyweight championship of the world as the character James J. Braddock in the film Cinderella Man,” he said. “I put it in the collection as a piece of whimsy and a bit of a gag. Funny enough, it’s garnered a lot of attention.”
Of course, it also drew the attention of Last Week Tonight, which purchased it for $7,000 (in addition to some other items). Oliver and his staff then donated it to the last remaining Blockbuster Video store in Anchorage, Alaska, to help boost their business. The store put it on display but then closed in the summer of 2018.
Meanwhile, Crowe said he donated the profits to the Australia Zoo, which said it would use the money to fund the “John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Ward.”
After the Anchorage Blockbuster closed, the jockstrap found its way back to Oliver toward the end of 2018. Crowe even appeared in a sketch with the item.
Last Week Tonight staffers then put it up auction again in 2025 to help raise funds for public TV and radio stations, with the item fetching $21,000 from an anonymous buyer.
It found its way back to auction again in August of this year, and the jock strap was purchased by an unknown buyer for $10,000 at yet another auction. It turns out that buyer was the Last Week Tonight team.
Oliver revealed this news on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight during a story on the Secret Service. Oliver explained the agency’s “zero fail” mission and compared that to his own show’s mission.
“If [they] fail, it can change the course of history, a level of pressure I truly cannot fathom,” he said. “I’m pretty confident the historical legacy of this show will be a few hundred thousand dollars for food banks, a koala chlamydia ward, and whatever the fuck is going on with Russell Crowe’s jockstrap right now.
“Because, quick update: After we auctioned the jockstrap off at the end of last year, in aid of public media, it was apparently put up for auction again in August, where, I’m happy to tell you: It sold for $10,000. And the reason I know that is, of course we fucking bought it back.”
He brought out the undergarment and then addressed it directly: “I cannot wait to find out where you’re gonna go next.”
