Entertainment · Television & streaming · published 2026-10-15 · via The Hollywood Reporter

Blake Griffin Launches Sports Late-Night Show Modeled on John Oliver

Former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin is set to debut The Stepback with Blake Griffin on Amazon and YouTube. Produced with Wondery, the show avoids typical ex-athlete podcast formats and instead devotes episodes to social and political issues in sports. Its writing team includes veterans from John Oliver, Seth Meyers and The Daily Show.

Expanded Detail

Griffin, 37, is an Oklahoma-born six-time NBA All-Star who also works on Amazon’s NBA on Prime. His new program, The Stepback with Blake Griffin, arrives next week on Amazon and YouTube and is made with Wondery. Fourteen episodes are already filmed for weekly release during the NBA season, with a possible second season in 2027.

Instead of game breakdowns or co-host banter, each roughly 24-minute installment examines a contested sports issue. Topics include gambling, college NIL compensation, NFL head injuries, rising ticket costs and public funding for stadiums. Its writers include Greg Iwinski, Alison Agosti and Jason Ross, veterans of John Oliver, Seth Meyers and The Daily Show.

Context

The show could broaden sports television beyond scores and hot takes, potentially reaching viewers who follow politics, labor and civic issues through comedy. Athletes, leagues, owners and sports journalists may face sharper public scrutiny if its segments travel online. Its success may also encourage Amazon and YouTube to invest in issue-driven sports programming. Whether it changes mainstream sports talk likely depends on sustaining Oliver-style research and humor across a weekly NBA-season schedule.

Expanded detail and Context are AI-generated analysis; the linked article remains the authoritative source.

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This summary is Al-enhanced to contain extended analysis and broader social context. The original is {NAME); the linked article is the authoritative source. Original headline: “Blake Griffin Really Wants to Be John Oliver.” Browse more stories.