Conan O’Brien kicked off the 2026 Oscars with a joke-filled monologue — and couldn’t resist roasting Timothée Chalamet over his recent dig at the ballet and opera communities.
“Security is extremely tight tonight. I just got to mention that,” the comedian, 62, began his the Sunday, March 15, awards show monologue at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “I’m told there’s concerns about a tax from both the opera and ballet communities.”
As O’Brien paused, Chalamet, 30, was spotted chuckling before the host added, “They’re just made you left out jazz.”
O’Brien didn’t stop with a dig about Chalamet’s remarks, he also poked fun at the “alternate” Super Bowl halftime show last month.
“I should warn you tonight could get political, OK?” O’Brien added. “And if that makes you uncomfortable there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave and Busters down the street, lot of tickets for that.”
Turning Point USA hosted its own Super Bowl LX halftime show starring Kid Rock and other country artists last month over conservative backlash to Bad Bunny‘s own show during the NFL game.
O’Brien also shouted out the various nominees and the “absolutely stunning” films that were made this year before concluding his monologue with a musical soliloquy with help from Josh Groban.
“I’m always so impressed by how gracious the winners are,” O’Brien added. “When you guys win, you share your glory with your co-nominees, with your team, with your spouse. It’s refreshing to see all this modesty and genuine humility. But honestly, I don’t know if I could do that.”
This is the second consecutive year O’Brien has hosted the Oscars after making his March 2025 debut. Later that month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that he would return for the 2026 broadcast, with CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang noting they were “thrilled to bring back Conan.”
“Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence,” they added in a statement.
Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich also praised O’Brien’s 2025 hosting prowess.
“Conan delivered an unforgettable performance at the Oscars, and we’re honored to have him and the producing team back next year,” his statement read. “Conan’s unique comedic style perfectly captured the moment, and I’m excited to have his talents back onstage next year to helm another indelible performance.”
Meanwhile, Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan chimed in, “We are both so honored to be returning for the 98th Oscars. We can’t wait to work with Conan and his entire team as we continue to explore even more special and heartfelt opportunities to celebrate next year’s nominees and the impact of film around the world.”
As for O’Brien, he quipped in his own statement, “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.” (After winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Brutalist in 2025, Brody, 52, broke the record for longest acceptance speech in Academy Awards history with a total time of 5 minutes and 40 seconds.)
Following the 2025 Oscars, O’Brien opened up his ability to improve jokes in real time during the live ceremony.
“There are times where you think, ‘We’ve got a good joke here, but I’m not gonna do it. It doesn’t feel right.’ We made a lot of changes backstage,” he explained to E! News at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. “You just decide, ‘Oh, this is a better joke,’ or you think of something in the moment, and you just go with it, and those can be blessings.”
O’Brien added that he “was really happy with” his inaugural Oscars hosting gig performance.
“It’s an honor to be asked to do it, and I’m just happy that people seem very pleased,” he said. “And now I’m really happy to sleep for two weeks.”
Later that month, O’Brien revealed the strict rules surrounding jokes about the Oscars statue.
“At one point, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if it’s just on the couch?’” he recalled on his “Conan Needs a Friend” podcast. “Let’s lay it on a really big couch and I’ll be vacuuming and say, ‘Could you at least lift your feet? Or could you at least get up and help? Load the dishwasher?’”
However, the Academy shot down O’Brien’s idea for a very specific reason.
“One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, ‘Oscar can never be horizontal,’” he recounted. “That blew my mind. Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon.”
