Conan O’Brien kicked off the 2026 Academy Awards with a journey through this year’s top nominated films. In an extensive monologue that found him cosplaying as Amy Madigan’s Weapons character Aunt Gladys, the comedian landed in scenes from Sinners, Marty Supreme, F1, One Battle After Another, and Hamnet while being chased by a group of kids.
O’Brien ran all the way to the Oscars where he shed the wig and clown makeup and got right to work. His first order of business was, of course, tearing into Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet for his discourse-bombing opinions about the ballet and opera. “They’re just mad you left out jazz,” O’Brien said. He brought his opening full circle by presenting himself with an imaginary Academy Award for Best Achievement. Naturally, he enlisted Josh Groban to perform an operatic anthem for his acceptance speech, which he delivered while standing atop a mountain set.
“Security is pretty tight tonight. We’ve heard there could be attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
— Conan O’Brien at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/CWW6wugFR7
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 15, 2026
As usual, O’Brien struck a balance between politics and pop culture. “It’s the first time since 2012 that there are no British actors nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress,” he said. “A British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our pedophiles.’” In between jabs like these and bits about nominees Michael B. Jordan and Leonardo DiCaprio — and the notably not-nominated Amazon Studios — O’Brien celebrated the international efforts required to bring the movies being celebrated tonight, and every year, to life.
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“Tonight is an international event. If I can be serious for just a moment, everyone watching right now, around the world, is all too aware that these are very chaotic, frightening times,” O’Brien said. “It’s at moments like these that I believe that the Oscars are particularly resonant. Thirty-one countries across six continents are represented this evening. And every film we salute is the product of thousands of people speaking different languages, working hard to make something of beauty. We pay tribute tonight, not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience, and that rarest of qualities today — optimism. So, let us please celebrate the days ahead — not because we think all is well, but because we work and hope for better.”
O’Brien returned as Oscars host after earning rave reviews for his work helming the ceremony for the first time in 2025. (It was also his first awards show hosting gig since he helmed the Emmys in 2002 and 2006.) As Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield wrote at the time, “O’Brien hosted for the first time, but damn, he simply did not care. That’s good news, since it’s a fact that a loose, DGAF Oscar night is more fun than an uptight, punch-the-clock Oscar night.”
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, O’Brien spoke spoke about his preparations for the show, saying he’d been testing out monologue material during surprise sets at comedy clubs. “The crowds really like it, because I’m a surprise, so they don’t know that I’m gonna show up,” O’Brien said, before quipping: “And some of these are very far-flung comedy clubs. They’re also a bowling alley. They’re also a car rental place.”
He also shared his love for this year’s crop of nominees, calling them “spectacular” and “all quite different.” He continued: “I mean Sinners is amazing, and One Battle After Another and Marty Supreme, those are incredible films, and Bugonia, and I mean — I could go on and on.”
From Rolling Stone US
