Conan O’Brien promised to keep things apolitical at this year’s Oscars, but he did the opposite. The veteran host opened his Sunday night monologue by telling viewers the ceremony “could get political,” and then immediately offered an alternative for anyone who didn’t like that idea.
O’Brien joked that if the political humor was too much, “there’s an alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at the Dave & Busters down the street.” The joke referenced the Turning Point USA’s alternate Super Bowl halftime show, which featured Kid Rock opposite Bad Bunny’s main event. That show faced technical difficulties and drew a much smaller audience than the main broadcast.
While much of his monologue focused on nominated films and actors, including a dig at Timothée Chalamet for dismissive comments about ballet and opera, O’Brien also touched on more controversial topics. According to The Daily Beast, he noted that this year was the first time since 2012 that no British actors were nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress.
O’Brien’s Oscars monologue showed that political comedy still cuts the deepest
He then delivered a pointed joke about Prince Andrew: “A British spokesperson commented, ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our pedophiles.'” The joke drew a clear contrast between the UK’s legal action against Prince Andrew and the situation of American men implicated in the Epstein files, many of whom have not faced similar consequences.
Another joke touched on healthcare. O’Brien described a scene from Best Picture nominee Hamnet, where Shakespeare’s wife gives birth alone in the woods, and called it “what we call in America: Affordable health care.” When the audience groaned, he responded, “Too real for you, huh?” It is worth noting that MAGA’s internal divisions over key issues like healthcare have been growing louder in recent months.
After the first commercial break, O’Brien returned with a joke aimed at President Trump. He welcomed the audience back to what he called the “Has a Small Penis Theater,” then added, “Let’s see him put his name on that.” The joke was a direct reference to Trump’s widely reported efforts to rebrand the Kennedy Center.
O’Brien never mentioned Trump by name, but the reference was clear to anyone following the news. The Kennedy Center joke in particular stood out as one of the sharpest moments of the night, landing without needing to be spelled out. Meanwhile, progressive and MAGA figures uniting over AI concerns has shown that political lines are not always as firm as they seem.
Despite his earlier promise to stay apolitical, O’Brien’s monologue was anything but neutral. From Prince Andrew to American healthcare to the Kennedy Center, he managed to cover a wide range of sensitive topics while keeping the tone comedic throughout the evening.
Published: Mar 16, 2026 05:45 pm