Oscars 2025: Conan O'Brien Mocks Karla Sofía Gascón Who SHOCKS All By Attending Hollywood's Biggest Night; Says 'My Name is Jimmy Kimmel'

Conan O’Brien kicked off his first Oscars hosting gig with sharp jokes, including a dig at Karla Sofía Gascón’s controversies, as the Emilia Pérez star reacted with grace.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Mar 03, 2025 | 08:08 AM IST | 23.7K

Conon O'Brien at the 2025 Oscars (Getty Images)

At the currently underway 97th Oscar Awards, comedy veteran Conan O’Brien, hosting the ceremony for the first time, poked fun at Karla Sofía Gascón, the Best Actress nominee who spent the entire awards season fielding backlash over past Islamophobic, racist, and other offensive comments.

“I loved Anora [Best Picture nominee]. I really did. Little fact for you—Anora uses the ‘F’ word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” he quipped in his opening monologue.

“I’m having fun. Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight,” O’Brien continued as the cameras panned to the Emilia Pérez star sitting in the audience. With clasped hands, she bowed and blew a kiss before mouthing the words “thank you.”

“If you’re going to tweet about the Oscars, remember—my name is Jimmy Kimmel,” O’Brien added.

Notably, Gascón, 52, attended the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles wearing a one-shoulder black dress adorned with diamonds. She seemingly skipped the red carpet but was spotted inside the star-studded venue in a photo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter just before the show kicked off.

Gascón’s film, which also stars Selena Gomez, is locked in for 13 nods, including Best Picture. The actress, who plays the titular role in the film, is the first openly transgender star to be nominated for Best Actress.

While discussing his Oscar debut with People recently, O’Brien said that amid all the excitement of hosting the coveted ceremony, he’d also be thinking of his parents. Meanwhile, on Good Morning America, he shouted out his writers for pitching tons of ideas for his gig. He humbly added that he once dreamed of being a seat filler at the Oscars but never imagined being invited to host the soirée.

The comedian, for the record, has twice emceed the Emmys and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. To People, he revealed that his preparation for the night included watching all 35 nominated feature films.