Oscars 2025: Conan O’Brien nails opening monologue
Legendary talk show host and funnyman extraordinaire Conan O’Brien attacked his Oscars 2025 opening monologue with absurd gusto, making one of the most challenging jobs in Hollywood seem like a walk in the park. From the opening skit, which saw him crawl out of Demi Moore’s back a la The Substance, then dive back in headfirst to retrieve a lost shoe, Oscar viewers knew they were in for a fun ride.
O’Brien then took the stage at the Dolby Theatre, launching into a monologue that spared no one. He joked about The Brutalist being butt-numbingly long, made a quip about the Catholic Church’s history of abuse, poked fun at Timothée Chalamet’s luminous yellow suit, and expressed incredulity at Babygirl—particularly the idea that Antonio Banderas couldn’t give a woman an orgasm. He also took a jab at Amazon’s acquisition of the James Bond IP and, in the process, gave birth to a new meme sure to take the internet by storm. If you start seeing countless pictures of John Lithgow looking disappointed in the coming days, you’ve got O’Brien to thank for it.
Next up, O’Brien enlisted the help of Hollywood’s most beloved funny-voiced comedian, the Sandman, Adam Sandler. Anytime that guy can appear at an awards ceremony wearing a hoodie and shorts, it can only be a good thing.
Perhaps his best gag, though, was aimed at Karla Sofia Gascon, who has been at the centre of a maelstrom of controversy. Pointing out that Anora featured an ungodly number of F-bombs before swerving and joking, which was the same amount screamed by Gascon’s publicist, got a true gasp from the celebrities in attendance.
Some may criticise O’Brien for playing it safe with his monologue, which avoided pushing boundaries or singling anyone out for truly scathing criticism. There’s definitely truth to that—and perhaps ending with a bizarre show tune about how he wouldn’t waste time was a step too far.
However, I can’t recall an Oscars monologue in recent years that generated such sustained laughter. The seasoned host even managed to strike a serious note, acknowledging the devastating Los Angeles wildfires before paying tribute to the many craftspeople who help make movies what they are.
All in all, O’Brien nailed it.
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