Conan O’Brien plays Aunt Gladys and takes opening shots at AI and Chalamet to open 2026 Oscars

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conan O’Brien played on his famous red hair and pale skin for an Aunt Gladys opening at the Oscars and took shots at artificial intelligence’s creep through Hollywood, the Oscars’ move to YouTube and Timothée Chalamet’s takes on the fine arts.

“I am Conan O’Brien and I am honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” O’Brien said after taking the stage for the ABC telecast at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night for his second year as host. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”

O’Brien warned the audience that security would be high.

“I hear there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” the host said, getting a big laugh as the camera cut to a giggling Chalamet, the best actor nominee whose comments on the art forms during the Oscars run-up became fodder for cultural discourse.

O’Brien also took aim at Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, who is annually a major figure in Hollywood but this year got special attention as his company nearly bought Warner Bros., the studio behind the night’s biggest nominees, before bac...