Stay Up Late


Stay Up Late is a 1992 furry fandom watercolor painting by Brian Swords. It depicts two anthropomorphic rats embracing. The painting gained prominence when John Oliver offered to buy the painting in the 29 March 2020 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Stay Up Late was created in 1992 by York, Pennsylvania artist Brian Swords. It was one of several of Swords's paintings, such as The Smell of Wet Fur and Sheets and Pillowcases, that depict anthropomorphic rats, named Alice and Bob, in sexually suggestive poses. Between 1988 and 1993, Swords donated his paintings to "Gallery 33", WITF-TV's yearly auction. His pieces sold well, but the donated paintings steadily became more explicit. Out of fear of alienating their audience and losing their FCC licence, erotica was banned from the auction in 1993.
The painting depicts two anthropomorphic rats in an embrace. Both of the rats are sitting on a large bed that is illuminated by candles. Behind them there is a large pump bottle of K-Y Jelly and an ashtray with cigarette butts in it.
Stay Up Late was sold for $80 to an unknown buyer in 1992. On 29 March 2020, John Oliver offered to buy the painting for $1,000 and a $20,000 donation to a local food bank of the owner's choice. Two weeks later, on 12 April 2020, Oliver was shown with the painting as part of his closing monologue of the episode. The seller remains anonymous, but did receive the $1,000, and Oliver did not mention which food bank received the donation, except that it was in Pennsylvania.
The point of Oliver's stunt was to show how much easier it is to buy a particular painting from an unknown artist than it is to get tested for COVID-19. Emily Chambers, writing for politics blog Pajiba, referred to the extended joke as "greatest story of the past century." Virginia Streva, writing for Philly Voice, called the quest for the painting a "comedic victory."