Oscars host Conan O'Brien ribs Timothée Chalamet, Karla Sofia Gascón and pays tribute to L.A.

In a pre-recorded bit, Conan O’Brien launched his hosting duties astatine the 97th Acadamy Awards with a motion to “The Substance,” climbing retired of Demi Moore’s backmost but going backmost successful to look for a mislaid shoe. He finished his opening monologue astir 20 minutes aboriginal with a song-and-dance fig featuring a piano-playing sandworm from “Dune” and a dancing Deadpool.

In between, the comedian and erstwhile late-night big delivered a sharply written conception that gave tribute to the ceremony’s nominees portion besides subjecting galore of the attendees to immoderate good-natured ribbing. Timothée Chalamet was 1 of the astir salient targets, and the 29-year-old pb histrion nominee for “A Complete Unknown” was a bully sport, smiling done the teasing, which included a look astatine his aboriginal “headshot” — an ultrasound of a fetus.

Following a “Wizard of Oz/Wicked” duet featuring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, O’Brien kicked disconnected his monologue with “I cognize what you’re thinking. Did Conan not person enactment done? Seriously, helium looks his age.”

He noted however the Oscars “is Hollywood’s biggest night—which starts astatine 4 successful the afternoon! Everyone present conscionable had brunch. I don’t recognize it.”

Moments later, helium quipped however Netflix came into the Oscars starring each studios with “18, number them, terms increases.”

From among the champion representation nominees, O’Brien joked that the “Conclave” logline is “A movie astir the Catholic Church... but don’t worry.”

O’Brien got a small edgy erstwhile helium took comedic purpose astatine Karla Sofia Gascón, a pb histrion nominee for Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez.” Gascon’s resurfaced tweets astir Black Lives Matter, Muslims and different topics sparked a firestorm during the awards season. Noting that Sean Baker’s “Anora” “uses the F-word 479 times. That’s 4 much than the grounds acceptable by Karla Sofia Gascón’s publicist.” He followed the quip with “Karla, if you are going to tweet astir the Oscars, remember, my sanction is Jimmy Kimmel.” Both lines scored large with the audience.

Special impermanent prima of the opening was Adam Sandler, who showed up successful a hoodie and shorts. After O’Brien ridiculed him for his mediocre wardrobe, Sandler fled successful mock anger.

Before helium closed, O’Brien highlighted the devastating demolition of the caller wildfires that struck Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

“The radical of Los Angeles person been done a unspeakable ordeal,” helium said. “In a infinitesimal specified arsenic this, immoderate awards amusement tin look self-indulgent and superfluous.” Noting the hard connection of the industry’s craftpeople, O’Brien said that “even successful the look of unspeakable wildfires and divisive politics, the enactment continues,” indicating the Oscars is simply a awesome of resilience and strength.