On the most recent episode of "Last Week Tonight," John Oliver asked a simple question: How is Ayn Rand still a thing? And during a HuffPost Live interview on Tuesday, noted Rand devotee Paul Ryan saw part of Oliver's segment and distanced himself from the Atlas Shrugged author.

The "Last Week Tonight" piece -- which included a clip of Ryan saying that Rand "did a fantastic job of explaining the morality of capitalism" -- questioned why conservatives continue to idolize Rand. When host Marc Lamont Hill showed Ryan a clip from Oliver's Rand takedown, the congressman said the last time he read the author's work was "years and years ago."

"This is why I'm not an objectivist," Ryan said, reacting to Oliver's piece. "This is why I disagree with her philosophy. But I think her novels are great. I loved her novels when I was a kid. They triggered my interest in economics."

See Paul Ryan explain his feelings about Ayn Rand in the video above, and watch the full HuffPost Live conversation here.