HBO
John Oliver has bought back Russell Crowe's 'Cinderella Man' jockstrap
Russell Crowe’s jockstrap from his 2005 boxing film Cinderella Man has made its way back to Last Week Tonight and host John Oliver after years of being shipped around the globe as a running gag.
On the Sunday, October 4 episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver revealed that the film-worn Cinderella Man jockstrap that he’s been passing around for years is back under his desk.
John Oliver revealed on Last Week Tonight that his show bought back Russell Crowe’s Cinderella Man jockstrap for $10,000
“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,” Oliver said. “And the reason I know that is, of course, we f—— bought it back!”
John Oliver reunited with Russell Crowe’s jockstrap on Sunday night’s ‘Last Week Tonight.’ Oliver has now auctioned off the undergarment twice—and somehow wound up with it again. https://t.co/w1GTinSjHY
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) October 5, 2026
The bit started back in 2018 when Last Week Tonight bought the jockstrap off Crowe’s “Art of Divorce” auction in 2018 to donate to Alaska’s last Blockbuster Video, in Anchorage.
The store closed that July, however, and the jockstrap went missing on its way to the last remaining Blockbuster, in Bend, Oregon. The show was able to track it down in November 2018 and used it in a sketch featuring Crowe himself.
Then, in November 2025, Oliver auctioned it off again with other show memorabilia to benefit public media stations, where it ultimately sold for $21,000. At the time, an anonymous Reddit user claiming to be the winning bidder said: “This is going to be a tough one to explain to my wife.”
The jockstrap then resurfaced at Propstore’s Summer 2026 Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, mounted on a display bust signed by Oliver, with an estimate of $10,000 to $20,000.
The jockstrap is now back in the possession of the Last Week Tonight team, with Oliver saying he “can’t wait to find out where you’re going to go next.”