A "salmon cannon" has been deployed in Washington state to launch fish safely over a hydroelectric dam, and it's giving John Oliver hope for the future. If we can use the cannon to fix the salmon-spawning process (that we broke in the first place, but whatever), who knows what else we can achieve with this wondrous invention?

Oliver knows: A fish-shooter is a great excuse for the ultimate gratuitous cameo montage, starring a bunch of big names in comedy and news—including his former Daily Show colleagues—taking salmon to the face.

Okay, it's goofy, but after the depressing segment about how the state lottery exploits poor people and gambling addicts for basically no gain to society, we kind of needed that slapstick chaser.

[h/t Last Week Tonight]