Conan O'Brien defends Oscars amid 'divisive politics': The arts can 'unite us'
Conan O'Brien is defending Hollywood and the Oscars, saying the entertainment industry can help bring the country together during a time of "divisive politics."
"If I could change the tone for just one second," O'Brien, the host of the 97th annual Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, told the audience in the opening minutes of a virtually politics-free monologue.
"The people of Los Angeles have clearly been through a devastating ordeal, and this needs to be addressed, and should be addressed in moments such as this," O'Brien, 61, said in remarks following January's wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles region.
"Any award show can seem self-indulgent and superfluous. But what I want to do is have us all remember why we gather here tonight," the comedian said, as a graphic onscreen directed viewers to wildfire relief efforts.
"Yes, we will honor many beautiful and talented A-list stars, but the Oscars also shines a light on an incredible community of people you will never see: craftspeople, artisans, technicians, costumers."
"Hardworking men and women behind the camera who have devoted their lives to making film," O'Brien continued.
"Many people we celebrate tonight are not famous, they're not wealthy, but they are devoted to a craft that can, in moments, bring us all a little closer together," he said to applause.
"For almost a century, we have paused every spring to elevate and celebrate an art form that has the power — at its very best — to unite us. So yes, even in the face of terrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work — which is what this is about — the work continues," O'Brien said.
While O'Brien didn't specifically name him, President Trump has been a longtime and prominent critic of Hollywood's annual awards show. In 2019, Trump mocked viewership ratings for the Academy Awards, saying that "nobody wants to watch" because the audience was tired of performers disrespecting "the people that won the election in 2016."
Last year, then-host Jimmy Kimmel fired back at some of Trump's remarks knocking him straight from the Oscars stage.
"Isn't is past your jail time?" Kimmel said in a barb directed at the then-former commander in chief, after reading some of Trump's social media posts panning his hosting efforts.
O'Brien struck a unifying tone on Sunday as he spoke about the future of the Oscars.
"Next year, for years to come, through trauma and joy, this seemingly absurd ritual is going to be here," O'Brien told the crowd.
"I will not. I'm leaving Hollywood to run a bed and breakfast in Orlando," O'Brien quipped.
"But the magic, the madness, the grandeur and the joy of film worldwide is going to be with us forever."
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