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Oscars: "Lawyered Up" Conan O'Brien Drops Kendrick Lamar/Drake Joke

During tonight's 97th Oscars, host Conan O'Brien could resist dropping a Kendrick Lamar/Drake joke, adding that he's already "lawyered up."


Did you really think that the 97th Oscars was going to roll its end credits without host Conan O'Brien getting in a joke about Kendrick Lamar and Drake? As if the pop culture beatdown that Drake suffered at the hands of Lamar during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show wasn't bad enough (here's a look at our complete rundown of it), O'Brien went there with his line heading into the next run of nominees. "Well, we're halfway through the show, which means it's time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile," O'Brien joked, surprising us by including the "a pedophile" accusation part. But in case anyone's worried, O'Brien added that he's "lawyered up" (a dig at Drake's recent run of lawsuits and attempted lawsuits against his recording company and others).

Oscars
Image: Apple Music Screencap; THE OSCARS – "The Oscars" will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air live on ABC, Hulu and broadcast outlets in more than 200 territories worldwide. (Disney/Frank Micelotta) CONAN O'BRIEN

Here's a look at O'Brien's joke from earlier tonight – followed by a look back at highlights from his monologue:

Oscars 2025: Conan O'Brien Calls Out Adam Sandler's Fashion Sense

After a taped segment that saw him emerge from inside Demi Moore a la The Substance (though coming out not exactly younger or better looking) and before a musical number in which he promised not to waste our time, O'Brien took the stage for what everyone was waiting to hear—the opening monologue. And it was everything Conan O'Brien that we hoped it would be. Seriously? How can you not love a warning that cuts to a disappointed John Lithgow when an acceptance speech goes too long? What were some of the joke highlights? Here's a look:

Oscars
Image: ABC News Screencaps

On Karla Sofia Gascon/"Emilia Pérez" Scandal: "I love 'Anora' — 'Anora' uses the f-word 479 times. That's three more than the record set by [Emilia Pérez star] Karla Sofia Gascon's publicist.

On Netflix's Oscar Nominations: "Netflix leads all studios with an impressive 18 price increases."

On "Wicked": "'Wicked' is nominated tonight in 10 categories. It's the perfect movie for anyone who finished 'The Wizard of Oz' and thought, 'But where did all the minor characters go to college? That's the story.'"

On Timothee Chalamet/"Dune 2": "Timothee Chalamet is up for best actor. He's nominated for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Dylan wanted to be here tonight, but not that badly … He's also in 'Dune 2.' 'Dune 2.' I'm told director Denis Villeneuve banned smart phones on the set. Apparently, his actors kept Googling, 'What is his movie about.'"

On Antonio Banderas/"Babygirl": "In 'Babygirl,' Antonio Banderas plays a man who doesn't know how to give his wife an orgasm. He said it was the most challenging role of his career."

On "Conclave": "If you haven't seen 'Conclave,' its logline is: 'A movie about the Catholic Church, but don't worry.'"

O'Brien also twisted the knife on Amazon – first, with the news that it now controls the creative rights to James Bond. "They just announced the next James Bond. It's Amazon Senior Vice President of Global Affairs Steve Belsky!" O'Brien said before flashing an image of Belsky (???) and adding, "Ladies love him!" As for Jeff Bezos, O'Brien shows how the Amazon head arrived at the event. "Speaking of Amazon, we have some footage of Amazon Chief Jeff Bezos arriving tonight," O'Brien shared before showing a clip of a fake Amazon delivery person dropping off Bezos at the ceremony in not the nicest way possible. When O'Brien notices that Bezos isn't in the audience, we see additional footage of someone stealing Bezos from the red carpet.

In addition, Adam Sandler joined in on a great segment of the opener where O'Brien called out Sandler for wearing a hoodie and basketball shorts to the formal ceremony – but Sandler turned it around on O'Brien, calling out the Oscars host for judging him as he attempts to rally the audiences to his side – and have some fun with Chalamet along the way. "Nobody even thought about what I was wearing until you brought it up," Sandler yelled at one point. "I like the way I look. Because I'm a good person. I don't care about what I wear and what I don't wear. My snazzy gym shorts and fluffy sweatshirt offend you so much that you had to mock me in front of my peers!"


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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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