Conan O’Brien plays Aunt Gladys and takes opening shots at AI and Chalamet to open 2026 Oscars
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conan O’Brien played on his famous red hair and pale skin for an Aunt Gladys opening at the Oscars and took shots at artificial intelligence, the Oscars’ move to YouTube and Timothée Chalamet’s takes on the fine arts.
“I am Conan O’Brien and I am honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” O’Brien said after taking the stage for the ABC telecast at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”
O’Brien, who also hosted the event last year, warned the audience that security would be high.
“I hear there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” the host said, getting a big laugh as the camera cut to a giggling Chalamet. The best actor nominee’s disparaging comments on the art forms’ relevance during the Oscars run-up became fodder for cultural discourse.
O’Brien also took aim at Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, who is annually a major figure in Hollywood but this year got special attention. His company nearly bought Warner Bros., the studio behind the night’s biggest nominees, before backing out.
“It’s his first time in a theater!” O’Brien said, then took on a mock Sarandos voice. “What are they all doing enjoying themselves?!” he shouted. “They should be home where I can monetize it!”
In another operatic moment, singer Josh Groban, in knightly garb, serenaded O’Brien in a fantasy sequence where the host imagined winning an Oscar for his outstanding monologue.
“He did this himself, and he’s grateful to none,” Groban sang to music from “Zadok the Priest,” a 1727 coronation anthem by George Frideric Handel.
The ceremony’s prerecorded opening nod to Amy Madigan’s character in “Weapons” was maybe to be expected given how often O’Brien mocks his own hair and pallor, but still had surprising moments.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit much?” O’Brien could be heard saying to a stylist before the reveal.
The segment had O’Brien sporting Madigan’s caked-on Aunt Gladys makeup and bright red wig from the film. It also showed him being chased by angry kids as she was in the role from the prestige horror film that won her best supporting actress a few minutes later.
Gladys-Conan was then folded into clips from other major nominees. He was animated into “KPop Demon Hunters,” played table tennis against Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” and sprinted across the Shakespearean stage in “Hamnet.”
After getting raves in his 2025 hosting debut, O’Brien — the 62-year-old onetime writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” former longtime talk show host, and professional podcaster — was rehired almost immediately.
He may have given the Academy Awards some stability in the hosting spot after much uncertainty about the often-thankless role, including the three-year stretch from 2019-2021 with no host. ABC convinced Jimmy Kimmel, the face of the network, to host four times, something that’s unlikely to happen again with the Oscars moving to YouTube in 2029.
“Some people are worried this is going to change how the Oscars are viewed,” O’Brien said Sunday, “but I’ve been assured …” he was then cut off by a wildly intrusive, YouTube-style ad featuring actor Jane Lynch pitching a tactical flashlight.
The bit got a big laugh from the room, as did most of his monologue.
Oscar producers have shown what appears to be a genuine affection for O’Brien, who is easily the favorite to return as host, and has suggested his willingness to keep the job indefinitely.
That succession was addressed when the live show ended. A filmed scene borrowed the ending of “One Battle After Another,” which won best picture and five other Oscars (spoilers ahead). O’Brien’s friend and former “SNL” cowriter Mike Downey reprised his role from “One Battle,” with O’Brien in the place of best supporting actor winner Sean Penn.
“We’ve decided to make you Oscars host for life,” Downey tells O’Brien in the halls of an office complex.
“I don’t know what to say. I’d like that very much,” a moved O’Brien replies. He’s then shown being gassed a la Penn and carted, dead, from the premises.
His name plaque is replaced by one reading “Mr. Beast.”