Of the 10 films competing for Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards, there is one that Conan O’Brien can’t joke about — though it’s not for lack of trying.
Ahead of Sunday’s ceremony, where the former late-night funnyman, 62, returns as host for the second consecutive year, O’Brien appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to discuss his preparation for the big night.
The comedian said he’s been testing out his material at several different comedy clubs around Los Angeles. Asked whether audiences have been receptive to his sets, he confirmed they have been, except “there are certain areas we cannot crack. One of them is the movie Train Dreams.”
Starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, Train Dreams is a moving portrait of Robert Grainier (Edgerton), a railroad worker and logger who lives a secluded life in the forests of the Pacific Northwest during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th-century America.
O’Brien clarified that it is “a beautiful movie, but it’s just no joke sticks to it.”
“I keep going out and trying them out,” O’Brien said, joking that his writers have written 5,000 jokes about the movie. “Not one of them is any good! And these are very good writers,” he insisted, quipping, “So I blame Train Dreams. I think it’s the movie.”
He went on to share one of the Train Dreams jokes that he will not be doing because it is “bad.”
Prefacing that “this is the best Train Dreams joke out of 5,000,” O’Brien proceeded to read off a card.
“Train Dreams was nominated for Best Picture,” he recited. “Finally, a movie that proves being a Pacific Northwest lumberjack in the early 1900s wasn’t as fun as it sounds.”
As some of the studio audience broke out into laughter and cheers, O’Brien shouted, “No! Pity applause doesn’t work! You waited, you were sad as I was. That’s why you’re not going to see this.”
Directed by Clint Bentley, Train Dreams is also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Original Song and Best Adapted Screenplay.
In the Best Picture category, it is up against a strong lineup including Ryan Coogler’s inventive vampire thriller Sinners, Paul Thomas Anderson’s caper One Battle After Another, Josh Safdie’s table tennis drama Marty Supreme and Chloé Zhao’s Shakespeare drama Hamnet.
Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein, Brad Pitt’s F1 blockbuster, Yorgos Lanthimos’s alien sci-fi Bugonia, Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent, and Joachim Trier’s family drama Sentimental Value are also competing for the top award.
The 2026 Oscars will broadcast live Sunday on ABC, beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
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