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Oscars 2026: Conan O'Brien's opening monologue
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- Published on Apr 17, 2026
- Host Conan O'Brien delivered the opening monologue at the 2026 Oscars.
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Audience proving we don’t deserve Conan. Conan proving he doesn’t care
💯
I've been a Conan fan since I was 9 years old. This is exactly on brand for him. He crushed this. He has never spoken anything but the truth!
A few days after the show people will only be taking about how funny he was regardless of the audience's reaction. That's the beauty of i
@Alexander-hi6qgPeople will only talk about him hosting, not the event itself 😂
I liked some of his takes but he was not that funny this time.
"Why are they all together enjoying themselves. They should be home alone. Where I can monetise it." That was gold.
the audience laughed the hardest at this joke. the only one that affects them directly.
that was very funny!
ROFL!! Yes, Conan's jokes are always intelligent and straight to the point.
Sarandos was a good sport about it too.
@bromere yea they only laugh at stuff that relates to them.. kinda lame crowd.. they should put normal people in the crowd
Monologue was solid, that room was ICE COLD, giving him no love
They are just waiting to win the award 😂😂😂
I only watched for Conan O’Brien tbh than I turned it off
@dixonmay because those people are too much in their own world
And he made jokes about it
@maylily820 I turned it straight off once I saw he was hosting.
These jokes were so good, this was a tough crowd
The jokes were not that good. Conan is bad at comedy here.
"On the ride home you'll appreciate it". Give this man an Oscar.
Huh? That wasn’t even that good of a joke you simpleton lol 😂
@KeepItCivilPlease293 Using 'simpleton' as an insult is so fucking childish lol
@KeepItCivilPlease293ppl always dis others from behind their computers what’s up with that
@dakotachamber7183I don’t expect your limited vocabulary to understand the nuance.
@Colossians1vs17well yes, we’re on the internet my child..
Crowd was so tense and awkward I love Conan even more for this. Lmao
Everyone's a terrified Karen these days.
I think the crowd is receptive af! lmao
It’s a tough crowd. He was funnier than their sparse applause.
Actors only like jokes directed at trump, the right, or issues supporting the destruction of the USA
Felt the same- he was hilarious.
He knew they wouldn’t laugh but he also knew literally everyone else at home would enjoy this monologue so much!!
Not really, no, his jokes just weren't good. I really hope this was his last time hosting the Oscars, it's just not a good fit, his brand of comedy is way too silly and whimsical.
Not everyone
No jokes about Leo's young female guest ... that's why they need to invite Rickey Gervais next year
Major cope coming from you. I love Conan but he absolutely bombed here.
Sorry I was at home and did not laugh. Love Conan but he bombed badly here!
Conan is one of the very few celebrities that seems genuine to me. Always has. Never failed to make me laugh
yea he seems like one of us just telling jokes.. never came off as snooty
*Funny man attempts to make soulless rich people laugh*
Im not sure they were in no mood for laughter
What are you talking about? This isn’t a White House dinner.
My goodness, you and the 201 people who agreed with your comment are beyond ignorant and so obviously jealous. Let me tell, you, 99 percent of the people in that audience started off as kids with nothing more than aspirations and a wee bit of talent that they worked hard to foster and develop to become artist who'd go on to entertain-you and many others. And yes, they get paid well for their work but if for one second you think zeros in a bank account stops an artist from being an artist, you are a sad and an ill guided human.
Most of those people in the crowd are actors, and it takes a lot more than I think you could handle to be an actor in this decade. I’d be willing to be you’re far more soulless than any actor in that room
I have better things to do than watch False Idols parade around thinking they are above everyone. But little do they know…Jesus is coming.
“Too real for ya huh..?” The fact none of them laughed at the affordable healthcare joke shows how out of touch everyone in that room is.
Maybe they know the joke is all to real 😢
They didn´t laugh out of respect for people who cannot afford healthcare. Of course they got the joke.
Conan is not funny, he tried to do a Ricky Gervais but failed on this one
Yup. They dont care. They get $5000 manicures to go dinner. I shouldn't say "they". Some do.. But majority don't.
@TheGreatY97 on the contrary. I found him hilarious. But a lot of that was a bit too serious cause these are serious times.
That “atleast we arrest our pedophiles” joke was crazy
Hollywood has had it's own share of sexual predators. I'm sure people in that room know it too well.
@AdamRapWToo busy giving each other the side eye to laugh. 😮
@cc1k435oh
Crazy part is that is not even a joke
That joke is never funny and def was not Conan. Someone made him say that one.
Conan said, "And I shall be a voice of the people."
Hail Vox Populi, the people's voice!
"let us celebrate not because all is well, but because we work and hope for better..." well said.
Liberal's "hope" is as strong as their conviction.
@pepelefrog1121so very high.
@komirulesyeah as high as dons diaper bill!
We always wanna hear platitudes...fuq that, it aint gon save ur ass in the end
When do movie stars actually work for a better future? Only for more money?
Crowd seemed very apprehensive to laugh. Kudos for dunking on the Netflix CEO because that's exactly how they think 😂
They were so apprehensivd
Not enough liquor yet
ABC monetized it just fine, as good as Netflix or you tube, 50 percent of the show was drug ads.
He took it like a champ.
Don’t want to ruin any future opportunities haha
Rough crowd...
Conan is the only reason I'm here! Love you Conan!!!
OMG HE IS THE ROUGH AND RUSTED THERE.
I cannot fathom this man, for many reasons, other that he just isn't funny.. Where's Kimmel, Colbert or even Billy Crystal when u need them. Borefest. I'm going to watch a Netflix movie
Yeah same here . I only tuned in because Conan was hosting it , and this crowd was so dry . I thought he was still pretty funny .
@Spw1683 Kimmel 😂
wtf who even is he , he's shite .
“Let us celebrate not because we think all is well, but because we work and hope for better.”
- Cone Bone a.k.a. America’s Favorite Redhead
"if that makes you uncomfortable , there's an alternate Oscars with Kid Rock" 😆🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Crying in Erika Kirk 😅
😂
I'm baffled it even happened. a total nothingburger of a show 😭
Lmao that joke killed me. Kid Rock is the kind of low IQ trainwreck who you actually like just cause he brings us so much comedy without even realizing it.
to be fair, at least at the Kid Rock Oscar's we will not have people wearing pins promoting and celebrating terrorist groups.
cameraman caught slacking on the job with that cut to Leo 😂
Idk why but that got me wheezing
Very frantic yes. It's just one battle after the other for the camera operators.
8:10 they had 1 job 😂😂😂
They needed to sneak up on him because he didn't agree to it 😛
The whole broadcast was a dumpster fire lol the main mic had way too much modulation and was blowing out everyone’s speech.
Who else is here just for Conan? Didn’t even know the Oscar’s was tonight!
🙋♀️me!!
ive only watched 2 oscar nights in my life. and both were because of Conan.
No one cares anymore
@angelicarojas7005 hollywood hasn't made great films in a long time....movie stars don't exist anymore
@legiN_makez i watched from 84-95. then nvr agn
Conan is a gem. I'm 40 now and he's been entertaining me with his uplifting brand of comedy since my early teens.
Yeah he is the only talk show host that can make me laugh out loud genuinely
Conan is literally the only thing about the Oscars i watched.
Your standards are questionable.
And even he was horrible!!!! Omg, the worst host EVER!!
@lisadc4681 It should have been Kid Rock.
He is really funny.
I wish there was Ricky as well
@lisadc4681no. That was Anne Hathaway and the other guy.
The F1/Caps Lock joke was so good.
Sorry, didn't got it. Can you explaine? No joke.
@maratkh9613He's talking about keys in a Computer Keyboard
@astriom1789oh, tnx. Funny indeed. :)
As an IT/computer person I loved it. As a Conan fan I loved it even more after his "some of these are just for me" comment
Print Screen completes the trilogy.
That crowd felt like they never seen Conan or they never been on his show
It’s an audio issue. The crowd noise wasn’t mixed properly. It was damper this time
I mean... could they have straightened his tie and chose a different location for the microphone, because Conan likes to clap? Production seems weirdly average.
They're so far removed from the reality that every day people are living.
I love it, Conan was loose, crossed boundaries & still made us laugh n cheer!
"they're just mad you left off Jazz" killed me🤣
Bro that was the craziest line and he's right! 🤣🤣🤣💀💀💀
😅😅😅 the writer’s room was on 🔥🔥🔥🔥
As someone who likes jazz that not even jazz nerds listen to, this was beautiful. I died.
"You like Jazz?"
-A certain bee
Caps Lock is way under-appreciated
People over 50 not sure😂
It took me a moment. The best kind of joke.
😂😂😂
That was the one I laughed most at
So good. Came here to say the same thing.
He’s doing the monologue for us at home, most celebs have no real sense of humour they’re too removed from real life
What about celebrity comedians? 📂
@DrSammyMunchkin you mean like Dave Chappelle? Or Joe Rogan? Or Bill Burr?
Rich idiot celebrities enjoy seeking self-validation at any awards show. This is why they lack a sense of humour.
@QuarkXQuasar dave is cool.
Not really, no, his jokes just weren't good. I really hope this was his last time hosting the Oscars, it's just not a good fit, his brand of comedy is way too silly and whimsical.
The closing statement is why I love Conan. I aspire to become an optimist.
The bit on opera and ballet is just short and simple, but so timely that it's hilarious
kylie looks fine af
Conan tried to make Timothy Chalamet feel better by dissing jazz. Which was funny.
Context please, did not get that bit
@supafupa28Who cares
@Beeman2892oh Timothy chalamet dissed Opera and Ballet said nobody cares about them! If you're on social media you wouldn't have missed it!
This is NOT an easy gig. Everyone is so on edge because of the state of the world. Conan did a good job.
All their butts are clenched. Relax and grow a backbone.the affordable healthcare joke was great.
The state of the world has never been better, because finally there's a Republican / President who's brave and doing the dirty work.
@adama2511ok
@adama2511 lol yeah and now he's begging for help (they rejected him)
@adama2511Have you lost it.... this world will be better when Trump is in the grave
Not even Conan could fix the vibe, they truly have no soul
He was monologing like it was 1999.
Probably cuz the people there sold their souls to get there.
You're straight from "Troth Sensual" I suppose.
Conan made explicitily clear, on that event as often times before, that he's not remotely on your side. That ideological fixation and weaselly instrumentation of him is really weird.
@michellechee7890??
A lot of the people in that room had their houses burned down last year. And the rest are struggling to hold jobs while AI slop and social media addiction eats away at what's left of the entertainment industry. They're not soulless. They're just worn down.
The bits are original...every bit and the monologue are amazing...Go coco
Hearing him get no real laugh just made ME laugh even harder. Conan forever undefeated
When it's any other host, we judged the host. When it's Conan, we judge the audience. If you're not laughing and applauding him, there's something wrong with you.
Yupp. Love starting w the monologue
"Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen"
-Conan O'Brien
Yeah he is not powered by Opinion Oil Conan O Brien uses a private company called Thought Oil. It is easy to see.
If only that were true.
@chihirostargazer6573Yeah I love Conan but that's his very privileged background talking.
I like him too, but he is definitely a privileged position. And his quote should be true... but we can see by the state of the world, it's often the worst human beings that get rewarded financially for their lack of morals and empathy, and many of the kindest and hardest working that struggle the most. Very backwards.
@chihirostargazer6573 For some of us it is.
Conan should be in the Conan sequel!!!! He was always the best late night show host
All I wanted to see from the Oscars
That girl in the red dress 😮
I don't think I've even seen any of these movies. 😂
@cc1k435 Then why are you here lol
True. I'm Italian and I don't give a crap but Conan is a real one. ciao.
I wanted to hear Conan,
But I got crickets instead. 🦗🦗
That crowd didn't deserve Conan. He did an amazing job❤ Love Coco❤
That crowd is cringe AF
Stiff. i love Conan
Ehh Ricky Gervais woulda done better
The crowd is for us, not them
@Groovy-Baby-Yeah Conan is cringe and not funny in this at all!
Props to Conan for not backing down on his unapologetic political commentary. Being rich and famous shouldn’t exempt you from sitting in discomfort.
"Unapologetic"? You haven't been watching him over the years...He was really pulling his punches 😢
Why would they be sitting in discomfort? They are all on the same side as him politically.
@stanlee3619yes and no. Right and left is a fallacy at this point - it’s really (ultra) rich vs poor. Money is power and they could be using their money and influence to tip the scales, yet they choose not to because the system ultimately benefits them.
@albathoughtsofficialmmm fair. But there’s more risk than ever to say anything against the administration these days, as restrained as it may seem to us. Take Kimmel, Colbert, and the blatant threats by the FCC as examples of the current climate.
@tjhalf_decentyou're wrong
Caps lock joke was lowkey great
It's a tough time to be funny. A lot on everyone's minds. We love you Conan.
Well said!
@MrKyGuy Dumb and Dumber...
Stop making excuses for him. It doesn’t seem to stop Kimmel, Colbert, Meyers, Stewart, etc. He bombed.
@Cat-z9oInteresting that you picked left-wing talk show hosts who are all bleeding ratings. The one talk show host who is highly successful is Gutfeld. That’s the one who would’ve made your point for you.
@sotiriosnovatsis4529 why do people focus so much on left and right? It’s the Oscars, not a political rally. I picked the comedians who make me laugh with their intelligent, observational humour. Gutfeld is not one of them. On the non-talkshow side, Cliff Cash is hilarious.
haha the british joke about them arresting their pedophiles was the best
Except England let rape and trafficking gangs operate freely for several decades. Thousands of child victims. Police afraid of being called racist by doing their job. I just realized Conan is Irish so he is probably right:)
no, the worst
Really? I guess Jimmy Saville doesn't ring a bell. Or Prince Andrew. Or countless others.
@faderen2000 Lmao, this kid fell for the populist disinformation trap. Let me guess, you're a right wing voter?
@faderen2000American's are such a weird bunch. So 'proud' to be American whilst simultaneously desperate to tell anyone they wish to bore that they are in fact
insert 'heritage of great great grandparent's from country they've never visited themselves' here.
"F1 did so well they're doing a sequel: Caps Lock" - this is the quirky Conan humour I know and love... favourite joke of the monologue 😄
Gotta love Conan! He is amazingly funny and clever🤣
@TheBealinanow I get it. I was wondering about that last night.
ha, I get it now
F1 is getting a sequel and it's gonna be called: F2! no wait...
Its the qwerty conan humor .. haha
Jesus Christ, what a tough room!!! Why are those people so stiff??? Conan could make a chair laugh!!! He didn't give up cuz he's CONAN!!!
Why you had to use the Lord's name in vain? Couldn't you just get your point across without doing that?
@DrRockDPM Jesus Christ, why do you have to be so sensitive?
@DrRockDPM grow up
@DrRockDPM Why is your god so weak that he couldn’t handle it?
@DrRockDPM 🤣🤣🤣 Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, JESUS CHRIST!!!
Conan has always lived for tough crowds... i mean he does it on these streets of any country on his remote skits.
He is unperturbed by silence. It's his superpower.
Nah. He’s definitely up there with the greats AND likes of Norm Macdonald. Whole different lvl of hapless wit, imo.
What do you want the crowd to do, scream at the top of their lungs? They were laughing and clapping the whole time.
@pcetime I agree, Conan always said he could never do what Norm did and that's what he greatly admired about him. Norm was like an alien in his ability to stare down a stone-faced crowd when he felt a joke was worth it.
@Jessilinnnddddexactly you can’t force laughter if something isn’t funny
Who else is going to watch all Conan’s moments of the Oscars and nothing else
Right there with you 😄
Everybody
100% 1b people watching this video and not Oscar’s.
Literally the only thing interesting about the Oscar's is him.
Only movie I watched was F1, Hollywood is dead
Dude this was so good. He had me howling
Smooth cutaway to Leo. Flawless.
They’re pros
I noticed that 😂
I chose to imagine it was a POV shot of Leo crawling on the floor like a Silent Hill monster
@finowa😂
😂
Conan is the perfect host for this kind of thing. Just on the inside enough, but also an outsider; pokes fun at people without roasting them.
🎉
Oh he roasted them. That was a torching.
He should have roasted them more.
Bring back Ricky. That would be savage.
@GRANOLA77 but he still was outspoken. Gotta give credit where credit is due. He is in a room full of sharks and just slit his wrists. Come on dude we all agree with you but he did what was needed.
That Spanish joke was genius with the recent silly Super Bowl controversy.
Spanish colonization am I right😂
so good
@GonzaArg2311 Bad Bunny 😂😂😂 that was the joke lol
@GonzaArg2311I interpreted it as pointing out that several american countries/communities speak Spanish, contrary to what toxic eurocentric ppl believe
Make America Latino Again :)
I love Conan
Conan - you're so cool and no one in the audience deserved you
This times a thousand!
Jonathan obrandis told him and he just laught of him
The fact that Conan O'Brien doesn't have any mainstream gig right now, yet he still hosts the Oscars, shows how ahead of the curve he is.
doesn’t he have a late show and a podcast?
@reptilus89 his late show has ended about 5 years ago lol
@reptilus89 He does have an HBO show that's won two Emmy awards and a podcast.
Im only watching the monolog because it's Conan
Just get Conan to run this every year
He’s seriously the best. Overall, he’s the best. He nails it. It’s kind. It’s hilarious. It’s smart. It’s relevant. Inclusive. Subtle but unapologetic.
Conan deserved more love than that!!! Protect this man!
Naah He s rediculous Do nt know how people lsugh at his stupidity on stage
@joesmith34Got lots of laughs at your inability to spell!
Should have filled the seats with crickets and saved time. That crowd suuuuucked.
it is the smartest Oscar monologue i have ever heard. The audience was never the people in the venue, they are for us. Thanks!!
Only here for Conan
Don't care for Oscar's . Here for Conan 😂
Same
Samesies
The crowd was afraid he'd bring up the list.
😂🥀
As he should have…
Conan! Awesome
Caps lock joke, underrated.
Best to know your audience....
Had me in stitches.
I didn't get it. New Zealand here and we don't get these movies screened here until like a year later lol we are a bit behind the times lol.
Definitely one of the better received jokes.
@user-ze6nb7dd1eCaps Lock is another button on a keyboard.
"Lil sads" wrecked me after that prolonged cheer from them in the upper deck
The healthcare comparison was perfect
To real for them. They are detached from reality.
Id say he is the best host for this kind of events. Conan goat
This was hilarious! Crowd was terrible
It’s Hollywood robots. What do you expect, they don’t have a good time
FR. Mann
@melasvarco4791 They're all drunk AF!
"They'll pull that up in editing, haha... LIVE. Okay..." is the most Conan joke ever, he loves old timey showbiz bits
Shoutout for calling out the tech villains - Netflix & Amazon & the corporatization of art. Conan's as real as it gets.
conan completely owned that room for those 10 minutes. he does his very best to not let a tough crowd make him awkward and lose himself, and it shows here.
The "caps lock" joke is my kind of humor.
Computer-nerd.
What I liked is that you can hear just one single person in the audience crack up immediately before everybody else caught on.
I assume Jordan Schlansky is completing various tasks over the course of the ceremony.
He helped prepare the monolog in various ways.
@d@danberry3417I think he helped prepare,in various ways, to prepare the monologue.
@martinpowell5147he helped the people who helped prepare the monologue, in numerous ways
@donbingo8523why he ought to fire that Schlansky. He also waltzes into work after noon on most days.
I can’t believe the audience went “awe” to the healthcare joke. That joke was spot on! You know…because it’s true😆
That’s because these people are one percenters who unlike the rest of people in the US have to make a choice between life saving medication or eating.
Too real for them
❤ Conan
Conan is the best, love his goofiness & his bit when he pets an imaginary cat 😂
Monologue was good, despite it seeming not so great from the audience.
Was the cameraman drunk or what? 😂 8:07
Couldn’t even pan to Leo in time 😂😂
I think he tripped for how the camera moves.
conan took everyone way and keep everyone smiling till he end his monologue. i love his energy
The jokes that got the biggest laughs from me got the quietest reactions from the crowd. Lol. Really solid monologue but awards shows are notorious for being pretty finicky at the best of times.
F1 joke
RIGHT?
Omg me too! Horrible crowd. Then jimmy kimmel came out and the audience roared at nothing. Bunch of jerks.
I also think it was the editing and cutting of the program. They did alot of botches tonight. And I know some of the jokes might imply themselves in the crowd so they might be not tempted to laugh, but you can feel those who actually enjoy themselves. I had fun watching this years oscars
W Conan for that British arresting their PDF joke
That was excellent 🏆
That will not change anything
Conan does so well in an awkward root. If you don’t laugh he’s gonna put you on the spot lol
Conan O'Brien is and will always be awesome.👍
F1 to CAPS LOCK is a joke for me too, Conan. And for this, I will always love you.
Oh now I get it. I didn't put that together at first. I forgot about the F1 key on the keyboard.
If the crowd was dead silent Conan would STILL be funny. 🤣
If Conan was actually funny, the crowd would be laughing.
Mad you left out jazz. Good one.
I don't care about Oscars, I'm here for Conan. Just felt like I need to say it
tough crowd. That means Conan did great hahahaha
Not really, no, his jokes just weren't good. I really hope this was his last time hosting the Oscars, it's just not a good fit, his brand of comedy is way too silly and whimsical.
CAPS LOCK. 😂😂😂😂😂 truly great Dad Humor. Thank You Conan.
Im so slow, i know what caps lock is bit i don’t get the joke
@ronweasley4096 F1 and Caps Lock are both keys on a keyboard
@SeMDesuoh gosh. How did i not get that? 😂
Finally they got a real comedian to host the Oscars again.
My sense of humor is so all over the place, If I was sitting there I would be laughing hysterically. 😂 That Affordable Healthcare joke was Diabolical and the Caplock Joke was genius.
Conan is the best
That Netflix joke was 100% true
_________? Winter Castle 🏯
U have got balls Conan!
CONAN YOU’RE THE BEST. YOU ARE THE ONLY REASON I HAVE WATCHED EVEN A SECOND OF THE OSCARS.
He's not going to see this no need to yell
This makes me miss his late night show. He’s so funny and comforting to me.
I loved the affordable health care joke
This was absolutely hilarious! I love how he went after Netlfix because F them. Team Coco for life!
Yeah, because going to the theaters doesn't feel like getting scalped
@Jason18745well if less than $20 for an amazing movie is too much, you can always watch it on a streaming service a month or 2 later. That's about how long movies stay in theaters these days, but there is nothing like watching a movie in a dark theater on a gigantic screen. That's why I paid to go see Wicked in a theater twice. I watched part 2 at home and it wasn't the same.
Aww, he tried his best. Everyone in the audience classifies as 'little sads'.
I love Conan wow