Oscars Night Turns Cringe With Pedophilia Jokes And Awkward Moments

Conan O’Brien hosted the 2026 Oscars Sunday at The Dolby Theatre, and kicked the night off with a dig at Hollywood pedophilia.

He wasted no time calling out the room full of stars by airing their dirty laundry. “It’s the first time since 2012 that there are no British actors nominated for best actor or best actress,” O’Brien said. “A British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, well, at least we arrest our pedophiles.’”

Nothing was off-limits for the late night talk show host. “I should warn you, tonight could get political. And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate #Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at the Dave & Busters down the street” he said.

#ConanOBrien jokes during his opening monologue at the #Oscars that there are no British nominees in the Best Actor or Actress categories because “they arrest their pedophiles.”

(via ABC/AMPAS) pic.twitter.com/s0pglsn75J

— Variety (@Variety) March 15, 2026

Kid Rock headlined an alternative “All-American Halftime Show” during Super Bowl LX.  The event was hosted by Turning Point USA to offer a conservative programming option, and positioned to squarely compete with the official Bad Bunny performance.

Conan O’Brien: “I should warn you, tonight could get political. And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate #Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at the Dave & Busters down the street” pic.twitter.com/AkunRe5wd7

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 15, 2026

O’Brien’s scripted jabs at the industry were paired with in-the-moment reactions to the unavoidable blunders that riddled the night.

The camera crew struggled throughout the show, despite a room packed with Hollywood’s biggest stars. Several acceptance speeches were cut off at awkward moments, with winners abruptly losing their time mid-sentence. Microphones also faded out repeatedly just as speakers addressed the crowd — even though many of the speeches hadn’t run long by any reasonable measure.

Awkward moment with Conan O’Brien at the #Oscars as they seemingly tried to cut away from winners speech pic.twitter.com/2zsCGIfnkT

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 16, 2026

O’Brien called out The Oscars on the air and hid his face behind his hands during the cringey, uncoordinated moments.

The host wasn’t the only one doing the roasting.

Kieran Culkin announced Sean Penn’s win as Best Supporting Actor for his work in “One Battle After Another,” then quickly roasted Penn for not being in attendance.

“Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening. Or didn’t want to. So I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf,” Culkin told the crowd.

Penn has long had a complicated relationship with awards shows and the spotlight of Hollywood fame, in general. (RELATED:

He beat his co-star Benicio del Toro in “One Battle After Another,” Jacob Elordi in “Frankenstein,” Delroy Lindo in “Sinners”, and Stellan Skarsgård in “Sentimental Value.”