- Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars on Sunday.
- It was the comedian’s first time hosting the Academy Awards.
- In his monologue, he made fun of best actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, who was in the audience.
Hosting the Oscars is a famously difficult gig. But Conan O’Brien didn’t play it safe in his 2025 Oscars monologue, bringing up one of the biggest controversies of awards season: “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón’s old social media posts.
O’Brien set up the joke by saying that the titular character in “Anora,” one of the Oscar-nominated films, uses the F-word “479 times” in the movie. “That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” the comedian said.
The audience responded with shocked laughter before O’Brien pointed out that Gascón, who was nominated for best actress for her role in “Emilia Pérez,” was present in the audience. Gascón was a good sport, laughing along as the camera cut to her.
“And Karla, if you are gonna tweet about the Oscars, remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel,” O’Brien joked, referencing the four-time Oscars host.
Gascón faced backlash when old tweets re-emerged on X (formerly Twitter) in late January after she suggested fans of another best actress Oscar competitor, “I’m Still Here” star Fernanda Torres, were attempting to tear her down. The posts contained offensive remarks about everything from Muslims and George Floyd to Miley Cyrus.
Gascón apologized for her “erroneous” past opinions and deleted her X account. After posting several statements defending herself on Instagram and speaking out in an interview about the controversy, she largely stepped out of the spotlight during the remainder of awards season. She reportedly skipped the Oscars red carpet before the ceremony.
Conan O’Brien’s Oscars monologue also poked fun at ‘The Substance,’ Timothée Chalamet’s leather suit, and AI
The 97th Academy Awards started off with a movie montage in tribute to Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires, followed by a trio of musical numbers: first, “Wicked” star Ariana Grande sang “Over the Rainbow,” then her costar Cynthia Erivo performed “Home” from “The Wiz.” Then the two transitioned into “Defying Gravity” from their hit movie musical.
After the performances, O’Brien finally showed up — emerging from Demi Moore’s split-open back in a skit spoofing her film “The Substance.” He joked that he lost his car keys back in Moore’s inert body.
Later in the monologue, O’Brien went on to assure the audience that no AI was used in the making of the Oscars, a subtle jab at the controversies “The Brutalist” and “Emilia Pérez” for their use of the technology.
This is a developing story. More to come.
Stream the 97th Academy Awards live on Hulu.
