Even if the winners won’t get political in their speeches tonight, Conan O’Brien had us covered.
The second-time-around host packed a few political punches in his opening monologue.
For one, he joked about the film “Hamnet,” in which star Jessie Buckley plays a woman giving birth alone in the woods.
“Or as we call that here in America, affordable health care,” O’Brien said.
He also noted that it’s the first time since 2012 that there are no Brits nominated for best actor or best actress — and made a pointed allusion to the Epstein files.
“A British spokesperson said, ‘At least we arrest our pedophiles,’” O’Brien said, drawing a chorus of “whoas!” from the audience.
The host also noted that the award ceremony would be watched by more than a billion people around the world, and to honor that, he spoke in Spanish to welcome viewers in Spain and Brazil.
Then he welcomed those watching in Los Angeles in the same language, acknowledging the city’s large Spanish-speaking population — and perhaps offering an extra nod of support for immigrants living in the US.
Muy bien, Conan!
He kept it going even after his opening monologue.
After the first commercial break following the best supporting actress category, O’Brien joked that the show was coming to the world live from the “has a small penis theater.”
“Let’s see him put his name in front of that,” OBrien quipped, seemingly teasing President Donald Trump adding his name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
He also joked about the Oscars being aired on YouTube beginning in 2029, noting, “It’s the future.”
“Some people are worried this will change how the Oscars are viewed,” he said. “But I’ve been assured that there will be–”
His remarks were then interrupted by mock YouTube commercials starring actor Jane Lynch selling faux powerful flashlights, meant to tease the streaming platform’s abundance of ads.