'Last Week Tonight' host challenges Buc-ee's to a trademark lawsuit

Mateo Rosiles, USA TODAY NETWORKTue, July 28, 2026 at 12:26 PM UTC

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A late-night TV host is throwing down the gauntlet at Texas' beloved gas station chain, challenging its well-known proclivity to file lawsuits for trademark infringements.

In a broadcast of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" on July 26, the show's host, John Oliver, spoke about how Buc-ee's left some FIFA World Cup visitors awestruck.

However, things took a turn when Oliver then spoke about how the company is well known for bringing trademark litigation against other convenience stores, T-shirt companies and even an underwear brand called "Nut Huggers."

Oliver also noted that Buc-ee's normally wins its suits because it is smaller and lacks the resources to fight the lawsuits.

"But Buc-ee's should be careful here because, as one legal expert has said, the more you do this, the more you might run into somebody who has the means or the will to fight with you," Oliver said. "That's where we come in, because it turns out, we very much have the will to get into a fight with Buc-ee's."

Oliver and the show launched their own merch line named "Buc-Off" with the show's squirrel mascot — Mr. Nutterbutter — that bears a resemblance to Buc-ee's logo. Oliver openly challenged the company to sue him, but pointed out a twist: the proceeds from the merch sold go to Hunger Free America.

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"Remember, in doing so, you'll be directly taking food out of hungry people's mouths," Oliver said.

To drive the point even further, Oliver finished out his show and challenge in front of a parody of Buc-ee's gas station featuring a bronzed statue of Mr. Nutterbutter and a mascot wearing a hat for "completely arbitrary" reasons.

The merch, sold on buc-off.com, features t-shirts, pajama pants, boxers, socks, stickers, and more, but will only be available until Sept. 8.

USA TODAY reached out to Buc-ee's for comment.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Last Week Tonight' host challenges Buc-ee's to a trademark lawsuit

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