Conan O’Brien made his Oscars hosting debut on Sunday night, and while he earned audible “oohs” at one point in his opening monologue, he also delighted the crowd by roasting the streamers, the nominees and even tossing in a musical number.
Roasting the streamers came at the very start of the night, with the host first poking fun at Netflix.
“What a year for the movie industry. Netflix leads all studios with an impressive 18, count ’em 18 price increases!” he joked. “Yes, and I think they can beat that next year.”
Not long after that, O’Brien needled Amazon MGM Studios for their recent acquisition of creative control of the James Bond franchise. Of course, O’Brien also had to take aim at some of the nominees themselves.
That included Timothée Chalamet, who wore a bright yellow suit to the show. Yes, the host latched onto that immediately.
“You will not get hit on your bike tonight. You’re safe,” he joked. “Timothée is nominated for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Now, Bob Dylan wanted to be here tonight, but not that badly.”
But Chalamet’s outfit was not the only target. O’Brien also called out Adam Sandler in the audience, for wearing his typical leisure wear. That prompted Sandler to fight back though, turning into a bit with him running through the crowd.
You can watch the full monologue in the video below:
In perhaps an odd pivot, O’Brien went from Sandler’s bit to addressing the Los Angeles wildfires, assuring the audience that the gravity of the recent tragedy was not lost on anyone in the room during the celebration.
“For almost a century, we have paused every Spring to elevate and celebrate an art form that has the power, at its very best, to unite us,” he said seriously. “So yes, even in the face of terrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work, which is what this is about, the work continues. And next year, and for years to come, through trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is going to be here.”
To wrap things up, O’Brien encouraged all winners to keep the show on track and running on time — before launching into a long musical number about how he himself would not be wasting any time.
You can watch the full opening monologue in the video above.
