Conan O'Brien defends Hollywood and Oscar, saying the entertainment industry can help bring the nation together in an era of “divorce politics.”
“I wish I could change the tone for just a second,” O'Brien, host of the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, told audiences at the opening hours of a virtually politics-free monologue.
“The people of Los Angeles have been experiencing obviously catastrophic challenges, and this needs to be addressed, and moments like this need to be addressed,” O'Brien, 61, said in a statement following the January wildfire that destroyed the Los Angeles area.
“Award shows can look complacent and unnecessary, but what I want to do is remember all of us why we're gathering here tonight,” the comedian directed viewers to rescue wildfires on the graphic screen.
“Yes, we honor many beautiful and talented A-list stars, but Oscar also sheds light on an incredible community of artisans, craftsmen, technicians, costumes and more who never see.”
“The hardworking men and women behind the camera who gave their lives to making films,” O'Brien continued.
“The many people we celebrate tonight are not famous or wealthy, but they are devoted to crafts that can quickly bring us a little closer,” he said with applause.
“For almost a century, we have paused each spring to raise and celebrate the art form that has the power to unite us. Yes, this is work, in the face of horrifying wildfires and divisive politics – the work continues,” O'Brien said.
O'Brien didn't name him specifically, but President Trump was a long-standing and well-known critic of Hollywood's annual awards show. In 2019, Trump laughed at the Academy Awards audience's ratings, saying “no one wants to see it” because audiences were tired of performers who disrespected “the people who won the election in 2016.”
Last year, Jimmy Kimmel has fought back against some of Trump's comments that knocked him straight off the Oscar stage.
“Has your prison time gone by?” Kimmel said in a barb directed at the chief commander after reading that some of Trump's social media posts panned his hosting efforts.
When he spoke about Oscar's future, O'Brien threw a unified tone on Sunday.
“Next year, over the years to come, this seemingly ridiculous ritual will come here through trauma and Joy,” O'Brien told the crowd.
“I don't. I'm leaving Hollywood to run a bed and breakfast in Orlando,” O'Brien said.
“But the magic, madness, grandeur and cinema of all over the world will be with us forever.”
