Intro for March 3, 2025

Dear Gossips,

The Oscars are usually good for a surprise, and the 97th Academy Awards gave us a big Anora surprise, but more on that later. First, let’s talk about the show itself, and the host, Conan O’Brien.

This was Conan’s first time hosting the Oscars but based on 1) his long career in comedy and television, and 2) his previous work hosting the Emmys and other shows, expectations were high. And Conan met those expectations, at least in comedy. His monologue featured good jokes and some solid bits, including one with Adam Sandler in the audience, and a fun song about keeping it brief (the show ran FIFTY minutes over, so long the Hulu live stream cut off before Best Actress and Best Picture were even announced, which some poor sap at Hulu will hear all about today at work).

Being an elder statesman of comedy, there is no shortage of comedians, writers, and performers Conan can call for an assist, and he clearly did just that. The writing all night was good, not just for Conan but the presentes, too. This was a rare awards show that didn’t garner complaints for bad presenter bits, mostly because the only people who told jokes were the ones capable of doing it well, like Bowen Yang, John Lithgow, and Ben Stiller. 

People who are not naturally funny were not saddled with jokes they couldn’t land. Also, Nick Offerman worked as the “voice of the Oscars”, which led to a good bit between the two, and Offerman mis-pronouncing his Parks & Rec co-star Amy Poehler’s name.

this bit between Nick Offerman and Conan O'Brien at the Oscars lol pic.twitter.com/KqljP8jTzD

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 3, 2025

Conan also had a good Anora joke, saying, “I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.” After the embarrassing display put on by Trump and Vance while meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, it was an especially sharp zinger—and shoutout to Daryl Hannah being the only person to say “Slava Ukraine” on stage, though some people were wearing blue and yellow ribbons in support of Ukraine.

There was also a moving acceptance speech from the filmmakers of Best Documentary Feature Film, No Other Land, which is co-directed by Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, Palestinian journalist Basel Adra, Israeli filmmaker Rachel Szor, and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham. Adra called on the world to do more to stop the ethnic cleansing in Gaza, and Abraham said, “Together, our voices are stronger,” and called for the end of the “atrocious destruction of Gaza and its people”, and for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023. It was by far the most blatant political speech of the night.

Congratulations to Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham for their film “No Other Land” which won the Oscars. In their acceptance speech, they emphasized the responsibility of the United States for the ongoing occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian lands. They stressed that only… pic.twitter.com/LQ2V8Xvn3k

— MK Aida Touma-Sliman (@AidaTuma) March 3, 2025

Overall, though, it was not an especially political show. As a host, that’s not the tone Conan is going to set. He can land a zinger here or there, but he has never been a political comedian, so he won’t go to that material the way, say, Jon Stewart would. Given the state of the world and the specific geopolitical events happening just within the last few days, it might feel like the Academy failing to meet the moment, especially from a group that proudly trumpets that they put the causes of queer acceptance and AIDS awareness on the map for middle America via the Oscars telecast in the past.

But for every person who wishes the show was more political, there is someone who is glad it wasn’t, and those people probably liked Conan’s relatively breezy and film-focused night. And that is where Conan shined most, spotlighting the craftspeople and technicians who make movies, pointing out that many Oscar nominees are not famous or wealthy, they’re just regular degular folks who happen to work in movies. 

He also did a great bit with representatives from the Los Angeles Fire Department, having them deliver jokes alongside Conan.

 

The firefighters rightfully earned the biggest ovation of the night, and throughout the show, chyrons appeared on screen, directing viewers to relief efforts for Los Angeles’s recovery. Though they didn’t belabor the point, perhaps to keep the show from feeling like too much of a downer. The tone was very much about strength and support, not loss. Billy Crystal, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, didn’t even mention it from stage. I wonder if they’ll ever announce how much money was raised during the Oscars? I would be curious to know if the telecast led to any material support for the recovery effort. 

Finally, Conan’s best joke of the night was far and away his Kendrick Lamar/Drake joke. He might not have been particularly political, but Conan chose a side in the Kendrick/Drake feud—I guess Conan isn’t worried about ever booking Drake.

Thanks so much to those who joined us on The Squawk last night, and we will be posting all day here on LaineyGossip, so keep refreshing! 

Live long and gossip,

Sarah