Conan O’Brien wasted no time getting to the good stuff at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, 15 March, delivering a monologue that took well-aimed swipes at some of Hollywood’s most talked-about targets, with Timothée Chalamet’s ballet and opera controversy firmly in his sights.
O’Brien opened with a mock security warning.
“Security is very tight tonight,” he told the Dolby Theatre crowd.
“There’s concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.” He then turned directly to Chalamet with a deadpan kicker: “They’re just mad you left out jazz.”
It was one of the sharpest lines of the night, landing cleanly given how extensively Chalamet’s February remarks had been dissected across the industry in the weeks leading up to the ceremony.
O’Brien also took a swing at the increasingly tense relationship between Hollywood and politics, warning the room that things could get uncomfortable. His solution?
“There’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos didn’t escape wounded either.
O’Brien played up the irony of a streaming executive sitting in a cinema, riffing on what Sarandos might be thinking as he watched an audience enjoy a film together.
“Why are they all together enjoying themselves? They should be home alone, where I can monetise it,” O’Brien said, doing his best Sarandos impression.
The monologue followed a pre-taped cold open in which O’Brien appeared in full make-up as Amy Madigan’s character Aunt Gladys from Weapons, crashing scenes from this year’s Best Picture nominees while being pursued by the horror film’s killer children.
The sequence ended with a stuntman being chased live into the Dolby Theatre 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 taken on the role for the first time just last year, and by the looks of it, he’s settling in comfortably.
