Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars for the second consecutive year in 2026, however, his latest gig proved less popular with audiences than his previous effort.
The comedian, who earned widespread praise for hosting the ceremony last year, leading one social media user to even urge the Academy to “give him a lifetime contract,” has now found himself facing backlash from netizens over a joke about Timothée Chalamet.
O’Brien referenced the actor’s remarks about the relevance of opera and ballet as art forms during his monologue before bringing out a b*m drum to mock him.
“The b*m drum was not funny. Why would they do it?” noted one viewer.
Conan O’Brien on the receiving end of backlash for a Timothée Chalamet joke
Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty
The 2026 Oscar Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with the who’s who of Hollywood in attendance to celebrate the best movies of last year.
Timothée Chalamet, who was nominated for Best Actor for Marty Supreme, was spotted occupying a table with his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty
The actor’s appearance was his first high-profile outing following his late-February conversation with Matthew McConaughey, where he said, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore.’”
“All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” he quickly added.
During his Oscars monologue, O’Brien referenced Chalamet’s views, joking, “Security is extremely tight tonight. I just gotta mention that. I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
The camera soon cut to Chalamet, 30, who appeared to take the joke in stride, flashing a toothy smile.
“They’re just mad you left out jazz,” O’Brien, 62, went on to quip, before cameras captured another face, this time a musician dressed in white, playing a beat on a sculpted backside with a ping-pong paddle.
Image credits: Robert Gauthier/Getty
Ping-pong, for those unversed, is the sport Chalamet’s character plays in Marty Supreme.
“W*F is the b*m drum? No one was laughing,” one person wrote on X, while another added, “The joke writers need their pay revoked. That was a rough monologue.”
Image credits: John Shearer/98th Oscars/Getty
“The whole b*m drum thing seemed like a half-baked ritual,” a third echoed.
“Oh, was this humor? Because I don’t get it,” remarked another unimpressed viewer.
The ballet and opera communities were unimpressed by Chalamet’s comments
On March 5, the Metropolitan Opera responded to the remarks by highlighting several behind-the-scenes departments involved in putting on a stage production.
“All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there,” the organization wrote in onscreen text, reframing a portion of Chalamet’s statement, adding in the caption, “This one’s for you @tchalamet.”
Image credits: tchalamet
The UK’s Royal Ballet and Opera invited the actor to attend a show, noting that “thousands of people” fill their seats nightly for the sheer magic of live performance.
Celebrities such as Doja Cat and Colin Jost reacted as well.
While the former informed Chalamet via a TikTok on March 8 that “Opera is 400 years old” and “Ballet is 500 years old,” the latter dismissed Marty Supreme just as Chalamet dismissed the two art forms, saying it’s just “a movie about ping-pong.”
O’Brien’s Oscars monologue, meanwhile, was about much more than just taking Chalamet’s case
The comedian joked about everything from MAGA’s alternative Super Bowl concert to ex-Prince Andrew’s controversies over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“I should warn you, tonight could get political, okay?” he told the crowd, before adding, “And if that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
Taking a dig at the disgraced UK royal Andrew, O’Brien said, “For the first time since 2011, there are no British actors nominated,” adding that a British spokesperson responded to the fact by saying, “Yeah, but at least we arrest our pedophiles.”
Elsewhere, O’Brien touched on the rise of AI and its increasing influence on the film industry.
“I’m honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” he said. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”
“Timothée’s face was priceless. He knew he started a war,” a netizen wrote
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