A small surprise was waiting for guests underneath their seats at the 2026 Oscars, courtesy of host Conan O’Brien.
The talk show personality greeted attendees with his signature humor on Sunday, March 15, leaving a witty note and a bag full of tasty snacks for the guests during the three-hour 98th Academy Awards ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
O’Brien got the evening started with his opening monologue. “Tonight could get political, and if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock,” he told the crowd. “It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
Us Weekly breaks down what was inside the gift boxes at the 2026 Oscars:
Conan O’Brien Surprised Academy Awards Guests With a Special Note“Dear Nominee/Plus One/Seat-Filler — Welcome to THE OSCARS!” the note began with a cartoon drawing of himself dressed to impress for the special occasion.
“I hope you enjoy this Conan O’Brien ‘Moderately Happy Meal.’™ These snacks may not look like much but in any movie theater they would run you $85,” he quipped. “Good luck tonight, have fun and remember that loud, enthusiastic laughter is good for your health and my ego.”
Conan O’Brien Made Sure Attendees Had Snacks to Eat During the CeremonyInside the gift box was a bag of SkinnyPop popcorn, a box of Swedish Fish gummies and one bottled water with electrolytes.
The Academy also put together bags of dehydrated veggies for guests to enjoy during the shindig.
Chris Rock used the 2016 Oscars to boost sales for his daughter’s Girl Scout Troop.
“Last night Zahra, my youngest called me up and said, ‘Daddy how come we never sell the most cookies? How come Mrs. Dunn wins every year?’” he shared while taking the stage, revealing they had a goal in mind. “It would mean so much to my little girl if we could beat Linda Dunn.”
The tactic was successful, as Rock raised a whopping $65,243 for the cause, per Business Insider.
Conan O’Brien Meme’d Leonardo DiCaprio During His Opening MonologueConan O’Brien got the audience laughing while serving as the Academy Awards host for the second year in a row.
“I’m Conan O’Brien, and I’m honored to be the last human Oscars host,” he began before segueing into Timothée Chalamet’s controversial remarks that “no one cares about” ballet or opera during a Variety and CNN town hall event on February 21.
“Security is extremely tight tonight… I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” the comedian quipped.
Leonardo DiCaprio, a repeatedly meme-worthy star, was later shown on camera as a caption underneath him read, “TFW [that feeling when] You Didn’t Agree to This.”
As his monologue continued, O’Brien honored the many stars who were nominated.
“We pay tribute tonight, not just to film,” he said, “but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today, optimism.”
