Did John Oliver Buy Kingston, New York Red Lobster?

Seafood fans are still reeling from the news that Red Lobster closed 2 popular locations in the Hudson Valley.

Hudson Valley Red Lobsters Unexpectedly Close

In April we heard rumblings that Red Lobster was considering filing for bankruptcy. We didn't think much of it, until later on in May 2 Hudson Valley Red Lobster locations closed their doors.

READ MORE: Iconic Restaurant Closes Dozens of Locations, 10 in New York

The Red Lobster on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie and on Miron Lane in Kingston closed overnight, to the surprise of many including some employees. It's reported that 80+ Red Lobster locations across the US were "temporarily closed."

The locations are still closed, although rapper turned reality star Flavor Flav is trying to save the seafood chain by purchasing everything off the menu.

I digress, but there is some movement locally.

Did a Popular Talk Show Host Buy the Kingston, NY Red Lobster?

With all of that being said, it looks like there has been some movement in the Ulster County Red Lobster location.

Fans of the show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Max (previously known as HBO Max) may recall Oliver discussing Red Lobster on the June 2nd episode. Yahoo reports that during the episode Oliver "criticized the private equity firms behind the chain, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May."

In doing so, Oliver mentioned that his team purchased all the equipment from the Kingston, New York Red Lobster location from an auction. Was Oliver planning on reopening a new Red Lobster location?

Kind of.

John Oliver used his auction purchases to recreate the Kingston, New York Red Lobster on his set of Last Week Tonight. According to Oliver "the frustrating thing is, it seems just about any random idiot could run a Red Lobster better than these companies have done."

The Last Week Tonight host then went on to take a dig at Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp promotion (which allegedly was a big factor in Red Lobster filing for Chapter 11). Oliver passed out Cheddar Bay Biscuits at the fake on-set Red Lobster and said "we've actually got a finite biscuits promotion on right now where for just $1, you can get one biscuit."

Last Week Tonight is streaming now on Max. 

What Should Replace Red Lobster in New York?

So it doesn't look like John Oliver is actually saving the Red Lobster in Kingston. Now that we know the famous seafood restaurant isn't coming back, what should replace all the vacant Red Lobster buildings?

Will any of these recommendations do the trick?

In total, 11 Red Lobsters closed across New York State. Did your favorite survive?

Sadly, Red Lobster isn't the only business to close up shop in the Hudson Valley. We may only be halfway through 2024, but a handful of businesses have closed their doors. Take a look: