The legacy of late artist Bob Ross continues to benefit public broadcasting, thanks to a unique initiative spearheaded by John Oliver. On the 2025 finale of "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver," the host successfully convinced the Bob Ross estate to auction one of the beloved PBS TV star's paintings to support public media. This effort proved highly successful, with Ross's painting "Cabin at Sunset," originally featured in a Season 10 episode of PBS's "The Joy of Painting" in 1986, fetching approximately $1,044,000 after 35 bids. The sale, which concluded on Monday night at midnight ET, established a new auction record for a Bob Ross painting.

This record-breaking sale followed other significant auctions earlier in the month. Bonhams Los Angeles auctioned three more of Ross’s "Joy of Painting" works to support American Public Television, the distributor of "Joy of Painting." On November 11, "Winter’s Peace" (1993) sold for $318,000, "Cliffside" (1990) went for $229,100, and "Home in the Valley" was sold for $114,800. These three paintings collectively raised $662,000, a figure now significantly overshadowed by the "Cabin at Sunset" sale.

The motivation behind these auctions was highlighted on the November 16 episode of "Last Week Tonight," where Oliver detailed the severe impact of the Trump Administration and Congress's decision to eliminate $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) earlier this year. These cuts disproportionately affected radio and TV stations, particularly in rural areas. In response, "Last Week Tonight" launched "John Oliver’s Junk," a website featuring 65 items—mostly from the show—available for bid to support public broadcasting, with "Cabin at Sunset" being the star item.

The "John Oliver’s Junk" auction ultimately raised nearly $1.54 million for the Public Media Bridge Fund, an organization dedicated to assisting local public broadcasters in temporarily securing new funds following the CPB closure. The Bob Ross painting contributed the majority of this sum, but other notable items also fetched substantial amounts. A chance for someone’s photo to appear in a graphic over Oliver’s shoulder during an episode, along with two VIP tickets to a live show taping, sold for $100,025. A trip to New York to meet Oliver commanded $51,600, while a signed case of "SauvignJohn" wine brought in $13,025.

Further eccentric items from the auction included Russell Crowe’s jock strap—worn in "Cinderella Man" and purchased by "Last Week Tonight" during Crowe’s "Art of Divorce" auction—which earned $21,000. "Mrs. Cabbage Oliver," John Oliver’s on-screen wife from a Season 9 segment on AI-generated art, received a bid of $11,111. A large, gold-plated re-creation of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s scrotum, part of a Season 12 segment on presidential libraries, landed $25,500. Five wax Presidents of the United States ranged from $6,000 (Bill Clinton) to $3,333 (William Henry Harrison). Golden Adidas sneakers, which John Oliver promised to wear if scandal-ridden FIFA President Sepp Blatter stepped down, picked up $5,148.

Oliver remarked on the show, "We’ve actually accumulated a bunch of weird artifacts on this show over the years that we could definitely auction off to raise some much needed money. I am proud to announce last week tonight’s first ever auction in aid of public media. This is real!" All proceeds from "John Oliver’s Junk" are directed to the Public Media Bridge Fund. Additionally, the three paintings sold by Bonhams were part of 30 Bob Ross works slated for sale over the next year, with American Public Television dedicating all proceeds to support public TV stations nationwide.