Conan O’Brien Details Oscars Opening That Got Cut, Says the Academy Refused to Let Him Put Clothes on an Oscar or Lay It Down Horizontally: ‘That Blew My Mind’

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Conan O’Brien and his Oscars head writer, Mike Sweeney, recently disclosed on their podcast that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wouldn’t allow them to dress an Oscar or present it sideways for the 2025 Oscars ceremony. During the event, which Conan hosted earlier this month, they had some creative ideas for a promotional video, but these were ultimately rejected. The video concept involved Conan and a giant Oscar statue portraying a typical family at home.

In a conversation on the “Conan Needs a Friend” podcast, O’Brien expressed that their arguments were typical of those between couples. He mused about staging a scene where they would be seated on an oversized couch, with him vacuuming and asking Conan to pick up his feet or assist with household chores like loading the dishwasher. However, their team declined this idea, saying it couldn’t be done.

O’Brien recollected, “Someone from the Academy stated, ‘Oscar will never lie flat.’ This left me astonished. It was as if I had stumbled upon St. Peter’s femur. It felt like an important spiritual artifact.

When the pair aimed to dress a statue as a homemaker offering O’Brien’s leftovers, suggesting it was a housewife, the Academy objected: “Oscar must remain bare. Oscar is always nude.” Consequently, the promotion was produced without these modifications.

In another part of the podcast, it was disclosed that the initial opening for the 2025 Oscars, which didn’t make it, featured Conan O’Brien’s idea. The portion that eventually aired was a humorous imitation of “The Substance,” where O’Brien emerged from behind Demi Moore, mimicking a popular trend started by Billy Crystal, who often began the Oscars with digitally inserted scenes from the nominees. Originally, O’Brien intended to expand on this concept for a more extensive skit.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, it’s the concept that struck me most: “Now, Conan will poke fun at all films!” O’Brien expressed. Picture this: I’m wrapped up in ‘Wicked’, embodying my emerald character, belting out ‘Defying Gravity’ or similar tunes. The scene ends, and immediately, we transition to the clashing swords of ‘Gladiator II’. But here’s the twist – I’m a gladiator, yet still sporting my green hue. The narrative continues with a Vatican conclave, where I’m among the voting cardinals, one hand still green as we cast our ballots.

In “Dune: Part Two,” Conan could have made an appearance, as Javier Bardem intended to step beyond conventional boundaries by addressing a joke towards O’Brien, referencing the opening of the Oscars parody where it went green for “Wicked.

The main issue was that the dye wouldn’t wash out, so we had to finish filming it all in a single day,” O’Brien pointed out, mentioning that the video would have featured Count Orlok from “Nosferatu” teasing him for the mishap.

Sweeney expressed his fondness for the part that got cut. ‘This idea was developed before the incidents occurred,’ he explained, ‘and afterwards, we refined it further.’

Due to the Los Angeles fires, the Academy chose to begin the Oscars with a collection of well-known movies set in L.A. This video segment transitioned into a musical performance from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who were nominated for “Wicked.” After their performance, Jimmy Kimmel presented a parody of “Substance” and delivered his opening speech.

Watch O’Brien and Sweeney discuss the Oscars in the video below.

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2025-03-13 21:17