Conan O’Brien wasted no time getting to the meat of the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, delivering a monologue that took a pointed swipe at some of Hollywood’s most talked-about targets, with the controversy over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet and opera firmly in his sights.
O’Brien began with a mock security warning.
“Security is very tight tonight,” he told the Dolby Theater crowd.
“There is concern about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.” Then he addressed Chalamet directly with a deadpan kick: “They’re mad because you left out jazz.”
It was one of the sharpest lines of the night, and it landed cleanly given how widely Chalamet’s comments from February had been scrutinized across the industry in the weeks leading up to the ceremony.
O’Brien also criticized the increasingly tense relationship between Hollywood and politics, warning the room that things could get awkward. Your solution?
“There’s an alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was also unhurt.
O’Brien played up the irony of a streaming executive sitting in a movie theater, commenting on what Sarandos might be thinking as he watched the audience enjoy a movie together.
“Why are you all together having fun? You should be home alone where you can monetize it,” O’Brien said, doing his best Sarandos impression.
The monologue followed a pre-recorded cold open in which O’Brien appeared in full makeup as Amy Madigan’s character, Aunt Gladys from Armsinterrupting scenes from this year’s Best Picture nominees while being chased by the horror movie’s killer children.
The sequence ended with a stuntman being chased live into the Dolby Theater itself, at which point O’Brien emerged from the chaos in a tuxedo, composed as ever.
It was his second time hosting the Oscars, having first taken on the role last year, and by the looks of it, he’s settling in comfortably.
