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

Conan O’Brien returned as Oscars host and opened the show with jokes about AI and Timothée Chalamet. On Sunday night, he told the crowd was the show's last human host. He said a self-driving car in a tux could run the show next. He also said security was tight because of a feared attack from the opera and ballet communities because of Chalamet's disparaging comments on those worlds. A prerecorded opening bit showed him as Amy Madigan's Aunt Gladys character from “Weapons” and edited him into scenes from big nominees.