Today, in a surprising twist from the world of entertainment, former Oscars host Conan O’Brien shared a peculiar encounter with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On the podcast "Conan Needs a Friend," hosted by his Oscars head writer Mike Sweeney, O’Brien recounted how the Academy rejected his creative promotional ideas for the ceremony. His vision involved a series of ads featuring a 9-foot tall Oscar statue in a domestic partnership with him, but the Academy drew the line at how the statue was to be portrayed.
Keep that Oscar upstanding. Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP.
O’Brien described one concept where he and the Oscar statue would engage in typical couple disputes. "We’re fighting about things couples fight about," he said. He envisioned a scene where the Oscar would be lounging on a large couch while he vacuumed, playfully asking it to lift its feet or help with household chores. However, the Academy firmly declined this idea.
The Academy's strict stance on the Oscar statue's portrayal baffled O’Brien. "One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, ‘Oscar can never be horizontal.’ And that blew my mind," he revealed. He likened the Oscar to a sacred relic, commenting, "Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon." Additionally, the Academy insisted that the statue remain "always naked," thwarting another of O’Brien’s humorous concepts where the Oscar would serve leftovers dressed as a housewife in an apron.
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While the Academy's rules may seem odd to outsiders, they are within their rights to enforce them. It's disappointing that fans missed out on seeing O’Brien’s creative ideas come to life. Looking forward, there's hope that O’Brien will return with another brilliant concept for future ceremonies. Fans are already rallying behind the idea of Team Conan hosting the Oscars in 2026.
