Kiwibank mascot featured on US talk show following sexualised social media posts
Monday 12 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 5 reports · updated In this story Kiwibank
The Kiwibank mascot, Buck the Sheep, was featured in a segment on the US show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The segment addressed an online controversy involving sexualised posts about the character. Kiwibank has responded by calling the issue serious and previously issued copyright notices to address the posts.
Key facts
5 facts
- The mascot Buck the Sheep was featured on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
- The controversy began in July.
- Kiwibank used the law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts to issue copyright infringement notices.
- Kiwibank stated the notices aimed to protect intellectual property and prevent harmful sexualised content.
- Buck was created by Fathom VFX using CGI.
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Kiwibank’s mascot, Buck the Sheep, was featured in a segment on the US talk show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The comedian discussed the phenomenon of social media users sexualising the green sheep.
The controversy began in July when an X user posted a sexualised message alongside a gif of Buck. Kiwibank responded by issuing copyright infringement notices to users via the law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts.
The bank stated it acted to protect intellectual property and to prevent potentially harmful or illegal sexualised material. However, John Oliver suggested the bank's aggressive response was "completely counterproductive".
Since the controversy, Kiwibank has reportedly stopped featuring Buck in its social media posts. The bank has also disabled comments on posts featuring the mascot.
How it developed
- Tue 13 Oct, 9:26amKiwibank used the American Digital Millennium Copyright Act to issue notices targeting posts on platforms including X and Bluesky.
Compiled from reports by Stuff and NZ Herald.