Conan O’Brien Opens the 2026 Oscars with a Little of This, a Little of That, and One Incredible Amazon Joke

It’s Hollywood’s biggest night! (And, no, we cannot promise that will be the last time we trot out that little chestnut this evening.) Fortunately, Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony opened with a little more pop and fizz than all that. Host Conan O’Brien kicked off the evening with a big, bold nod to some of the evening’s big nominees, thanks to a pre-taped bit that saw him dressed as “Weapons” icon Aunt Gladys (“I look like like Bette Davis with lupus!”), complete with very angry kids and a generous amount of window-breaking.

The real joke? That O’Brien (again, dressed as eventual Best Supporting Actress winner Amy Madigan’s instantly recognizable baddie) was also zinging his way into some of the year’s most lauded films (“Marty Supreme” was fun, “Hamnet” was upsetting), all set to the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” It ended, of course, with O’Brien bringing the nefarious kids right into the “Sinners” juke joint and straight onto the red carpet and right through the ceremony itself. Comedy! But, like, good comedy!

A peppy O’Brien introduced himself as “the last human host of the Academy Awards,” cracking that “next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.” Timely humor remained on the menu, as O’Brien also noted that security concerns were at a high, mostly due to potential attacks “from the opera and ballet communities.” (Yes, yes, of course, they immediately cut to Timothée Chalamet, looking amused.) “They’re just mad you left out jazz,” he added.

The high-energy opening didn’t necessarily have much in the way of cohesive comedy, but it was all peppy, high energy, and generally loving toward Hollywood and movie-making. O’Brien did indicate that the evening might get political, and for those in the audience worried about such possibilities, he giddily directed them to an “alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock” (at the Dave and Buster’s down the street). The host also joked it was first time that Netflix head Ted Sarandos had been in a theater (Sarandos seemed to revel in the joke, take that however you will). Play the hits, O’Brien.

The second-time host then zipped through jokes about the films, a nod to these “very chaotic, frightening times,” the need for more optimism from all, and at least one very good joke about Amazon not getting any nominations this year (“Why isn’t the website I order toilet paper from winning more Oscars?!”).

Somewhat inexplicably (beyond, “it’s Conan!”), the entire opening ended with a long-form sketch that saw O’Brien winning “Best Achievement” and being feted by a warbling Josh Groban. Let’s get this show on the road, OK?

At last year’s ceremony, O’Brien used his first time hosting the show to gently roast just about everyone, from Netflix to embattled nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, AI to Amazon and its then-recent James Bond buy, but he had earlier announced his intention to skew a bit more restrained this year. “My job is to always try and hit this very, very thin line, I think, between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities,” he said during the recent Oscars press conference. “So it is a dance. It’s a dance that goes on up until the show begins.”

But executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor teased to IndieWire that humor will stay high throughout the show. “Conan has some amazing pieces that are just going to unfold throughout the evening, and if anything, he’s going bigger, and his creativity has been unleashed to a new level,” said Kapoor in a recent chat with IndieWire.

The 98th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 15, with O’Brien returning as host after making his debut with gig role last year. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Check out the full list of winners right here.