Conan O’Brien criticized Timothée Chalamet for criticizing ballet and opera at the 2026 Oscars ceremony.
In his opening monologue, O’Brien said: “Security will be extremely tight tonight. I just want to say this: I have heard that there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
As the audience gasped and cheered, the camera cut to Chalamet, 30, laughing as he sat next to his girlfriend Kylie Jenner.
O’Brien, 62, quipped: “They’re just mad that you ignored jazz.”
Chalamet and Jenner, 28, both responded with smiles.
Chalamet, who is nominated for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme, sparked a backlash when he disparaged ballet and opera during a town hall with Matthew McConaughey that aired on CNN on February 21st.
After explaining the importance of keeping movie theaters afloat, he said, “I don’t want to do ballet or opera work where you’re like, ‘Hey! Keep this going even though no one cares about it anymore.'”
“With all due respect to the ballet and opera people…I only lost 14 cents in ratings. They’re taking pictures for no reason,” Chalamet added.
His comments were quickly condemned by the Royal Ballet and Opera, which said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that “ballet and opera have never existed in isolation.”
Ballet prodigy Misty Copeland applauded Chalamet, saying that without opera and ballet, “I wouldn’t have become an actor.”
The women of The View also weighed in on the show, with Sunny Hostin calling Chalamet “conceited” and “shallow” and Whoopi Goldberg saying he “should be careful” with the young actor.
Chalamet was also mocked on “Jeopardy!” and “Saturday Night Live,” which disses ballet and opera.
O’Brien opened the 2026 Oscars ceremony dressed as Amy Madigan’s character from “Weapons” before taking to the stage.
“I want to warn you that tonight may get political, okay?” he said, before joking to the audience, “If that makes you uncomfortable, there’s an alternative Oscars hosted by Kid Rock, at Dave & Buster’s down the street.”
The comedian also sharply criticized former Prince Andrew’s arrest over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“This is the first time since 2011 that no British actor has been nominated,” O’Brien said, joking that a British spokesperson said: “Yeah, but at least we arrest pedophiles.”
O’Brien hosted the Oscars for the first time last year.
The March 2, 2025 show drew the Oscars’ largest broadcast audience in five years, with an estimated 19.7 million viewers, ABC announced at the time.
In a Hollywood Reporter article published last week, O’Brien explained his thoughts on returning to host the show.
“There’s a little bearded Viking inside me,” he said. “He’s been there since I was 10 years old. And when that Viking decides to do something, whether it’s filling in for an inexperienced David Letterman, or skiing an advanced slope, or I’m not even supposed to come down, or hosting the Oscars, it happens.”
He also gave a sarcastic answer when asked what his biggest goal was on Oscar night.
“My main goal is to entertain people as the host of the Oscars,” he told THR. “But there’s another thing I have to offer: empathy.”
“I spend a lot of time behind the scenes comforting people who have lost,” the comedian added. “People don’t understand that part. During commercial breaks, I tell people they’re better off without an Oscar. Like a lot of people, an Oscar would ruin their career.”
O’Brien added: “That’s not true. They really should have won. No one wants to hang out with losers. I think my biggest role is to be a comforter. That’s my job. So the jokes are just part of it.”
