The talk show host and podcaster didn’t hold back when he returned to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

Conan O’Brien is the latest comedian to host the Oscars multiple times, following the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, and Billy Crystal.

During his grand return to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, the talk-show host and podcaster opened the show by cosplaying as Aunt Gladys, the viral witch from Weapons played by nominee Amy Madigan, during a pretaped sketch. While being chased by children, he ran through the sets of many of this year’s Oscar-nominated films, including: the F1 race track, a Marty Supreme ping-pong match, the Hamnet Globe Theater, the One Battle After Another car chase, the KPop Demon Hunters alleyway, the Sentimental Value interview room, and the Sinners juke joint. He then ran through the star-studded aisles of the Dolby before removing his Aunt Gladys wig.

Conan O’Brien is the latest comedian to host the Oscars multiple times, following the likes of Jimmy Kimmel, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, and Billy Crystal.

During his grand return to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, the talk-show host and podcaster opened the show by cosplaying as Aunt Gladys, the viral witch from Weapons played by nominee Amy Madigan, during a pretaped sketch. While being chased by children, he ran through the sets of many of this year’s Oscar-nominated films, including: the F1 race track, a Marty Supreme ping-pong match, the Hamnet Globe Theater, the One Battle After Another car chase, the KPop Demon Hunters alleyway, the Sentimental Value interview room, and the Sinners juke joint. He then ran through the star-studded aisles of the Dolby before removing his Aunt Gladys wig.

O’Brien then joked that he’s “the last human host” of the Oscar ceremony, because next year it will be “a Waymo in a tux.” Note: the Academy Awards will move to YouTube in 2029, so ABC still has two more years to broadcast the ceremony.

Addressing the Timothée Chalamet snafu that went viral, he said that security is super tight and there are “concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.” He then turned to Timmy and declared, “They’re just mad you left out jazz!”

Things “could get political” tonight, the host warned, so just in case, there is an alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at the Dave and Busters next door.

He poked fun at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for being in a theater for the “first time.” Why weren’t all of the celebrities “home alone” watching the show, O’Brien wondered aloud, so that Sarandos could “monetize” it?

O’Brien appeared in his first feature film this year, If I Had Legs I’d Kiss You, opposite nominee Rose Byrne. “It’s hard to act in a scene with someone you’ve always had a massive crush on,” he began. “For Rose, you did a fantastic job! Admirable restraint.”
Host Conan O’Brien and Josh Groban perform on 98th OscarsKevin Winter/Getty Images)
The first ever award for Best Casting will be presented later tonight, with O’Brien saying there would only be one winner. “For the rest of you, we decided to go in another direction,” he deadpanned, referencing the the line so many aspiring actors hear whenever they audition.

O’Brien took a political jab at the Epstein Files when he said that there are no British actors nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress for the first time in 12 years. “A British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our pedophiles,’” he noted.

The monologue ended with O’Brien congratulating the crowd for remaining optimistic. “I don’t know if I could do that,” he stated. He then pretended to win an Oscar and was heralded as a king by Josh Groban, who sang that O’Brien’s victory was “fated by God.”

This year’s top Oscar nominees included Sinners with 16 bids, One Battle After Another with 13, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value with nine apiece, and Hamnet with eight.

See the complete winners list for the 2026 Oscars, and sound off in our forums with your thoughts on the winners.