Oscars 2026: Conan O’Brien takes aim at Donald Trump
Conan O’Brien has made a sly dig at Donald Trump in another political joke made while hosting the Oscars.
The former talk show host was speaking as the show was returning from a commercial break, saying it was coming “live from the ‘has a small penis’ theatre.”
Of course, the Oscars is actually being broadcast from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles as is custom every year, but O’Brien was referencing Trump’s recent interference with the world-famous Kennedy Center when he added: “Wonder who’d put his name in front of that”.
Trump announced earlier this year that he was renaming the arts institution the Trump Kennedy Center after himself, after scrapping the existing board and instating himself as chair at the start of his second term last year.
The move has caused major controversy not only among artists but also the family of the late former president John F Kennedy, whom the venue was named after following his assassination.
Trump has announced that the center is set to close after the Independence Day celebrations in July for a period of two years in order to undergo major renovations, one of the most significant reasons he cited for taking such an interest in the venue.
However, many planned performers who were set to stage concerts at the Kennedy Center have since pulled out of their appearances in protest of Trump’s actions, including Philip Glass and Stephen Schwartz.
It also comes as Richard Grenell, the president of the arts institute for the past 13 months, is set to step down, according to Trump.
The president announced Grenell’s replacement by writing on Truth Social: “I am pleased to announce that Matt Floca, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, will be named the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, of THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER where, as Vice President of Operations, Matt has helped us achieve tremendous progress in bringing the Center to the highest level of Excellence!”
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