Key Points
Conan O'Brien makes historic first-time Oscars hosting debut
Delivers opening monologue in Hindi with playful Indian reference
Jokes about Best Picture nominees with comedic precision
Live broadcast reaches global audience including India
The comedian, who is hosting the Academy Awards for the first time, kicked off the ceremony with a sweet shoutout to India, greeting the audience with a namaste and speaking in Hindi.
"Logo ko namaskar. Waha subha ho chuki hai to mujhe ummeed hai ki ap crispy nashte ke sath Oscars dekhenge," O'Brien said, which translates to "Greetings to the people of India. It's morning there, so I hope you enjoy your breakfast with the Oscars."
O'Brien then launched into a series of jokes about the Best Picture nominees, lightly ribbing each film.
He poked fun at 'Conclave,' saying, "I'm a catholic boy, loved Conclave. If you haven't seen Conclave, it's log line is a movie about the Catholic church but don't worry."
He also joked about director Sean Baker's "Anora," saying, "Anora used the f word 497 times, that's three more than the record set by Karla Sofia Gascon's publicist."
The camera then cut to the Best Actress nominee in the audience, whose awards season has been marked by controversy over past social media comments.
O'Brien continued to bring the laughs throughout his monologue, joking about the rules for the evening and even taking a shot at Adam Sandler's bright blue hoodie.
Sandler responded to the diss, saying, "I like the way I look because I'm a good person."
The 2025 Oscars are airing live at 7 pm ET on ABC and Hulu.
In India, the 97th Academy Awards are streaming live on JioHotstar.
