Being one of the funniest people on the planet, Conan O'Brien was always expected to crush it hosting the 98th Oscars – his second time doing so in two years – and the beloved comedian did well to not disappoint straight out of the gate. While the tradition of the pre-recorded opener has what could be called a mixed record in Academy Award history, as it can be challenging to reference all of the big nominated titles, O'Brien and his crew got big laughs immediately with a great montage featuring the emcee in full Aunt Gladys makeup.
Unknowingly mere minutes before Amy Madigan won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her incredible work in writer/director Zach Cregger's Weapons, the Academy Awards opened with a scene featuring O'Brien getting last looks in the makeup chair before the start of the ceremony. Unfortunately, the artist made him look like the #1 new horror icon from 2025, and in an effort to get him to rush to the stage, she cast a spell that caused him to flee from a group of murderous children (a parody of Weapons' big finale, for those unaware).
The chase opened the opportunity for the host to sprint through a number of films up for Best Picture, and it turned into a great bit: I loved seeing him successfully take a point off Marty Supreme's Timothée Chalamet in a game of ping pong, and try out a jig to impress the cast of Sinners to get into the juke joint – but the best part was definitely him being chewed out by Sentimental Value's Stellan Skarsgård while sitting on the couch and being quietly observed by the pursuing children.
The opening sketch ended with the pre-recorded material blending into reality, as Conan O'Brien got chased on to the stage still in his makeup and wig... and then he quickly managed to crush his opening monologue. He didn't waste any time roasting the A-listers sitting in the crowd in front of him – specifically crafting an A+ joke aimed at the recent controversy stirred up by Timothée Chalamet and his comments about the fine arts:
Security is extremely tight tonight. I just gotta mention that. Yeah. We're told there's concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities. They're just mad you left out jazz.
The only downside of Conan O'Brien doing so well opening the ceremony is recognizing that he will have no bigger spotlight moment during the show – though I imagine there will be plenty of funny bits throughout the show.
The CinemaBlend team will be on all night covering the events, so as you watch, be sure to keep checking back here on the site as we highlight all of the biggest moments.
