Conan O’Brien reveals ‘bad’ joke he’s already cut about one Oscar nominee
We're just a couple of days away from the 98th Academy Awards, and cinephiles across the globe will no doubt be very intrigued to see which Hollywood A-listers take home arguably the most prestigious accolade in Hollywood.
This year, comedian Conan O’Brien will be returning as the host of the Oscars and, following tradition, he'll be delivering a roast or two about some of the celebrities in attendance.
However, it's clear he's had to rein it in a bit, given that he's already cut one particularly 'bad joke' about one of this year's nominees.
Ahead of Sunday's ceremony (15 March), the TV host admitted that he and his team spitballed a whole load of 'bad jokes' after finding it tricky to come up with a witticism about Best Picture nominee Train Dreams.
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Directed by Clint Bentley, Train Dreams, which stars Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, follows the life of stoic logger Robert Grainier (Edgerton).
Robert is a railroad worker in the early 20th-century Pacific Northwest with the drama chronicling his quiet existence, marriage to Gladys and birth of daughter Kate, the tragic loss of his family in a wildfire and his subsequent solitary life.
Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week, O'Brien shared: "This is the best Train Dreams joke out of 5,000: Train Dreams was nominated for Best Picture. Finally, a movie that proves being a Pacific Northwest lumberjack in the early 1900s wasn't as fun as it sounds."
The audience clearly wasn't amused, with only a few confirming they'd actually watched the flick.
"No! No! No! No! Pity applause doesn't work," Conan declared. "You waited, you were sad, as I was. That's why you're not gonna see this joke."
Earlier in the interview, O'Brien explained to Kimmel: "There are times where there are certain areas we cannot crack.
"One of them is the movie Train Dreams. Can’t get a good joke for Train Dreams, which means there is no good joke for Train Dreams."
He continued: "And these are very good writers, so I blame Train Dreams. It’s a beautiful movie, but no joke sticks to it.
This Sunday's awards ceremony will mark the second time O'Brien has hosted the Oscars, following his debut in 2025.
"The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech," he said, jokingly referring to the A-lister's longest-ever acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor award for The Brutalist.
Other nominated films in the Best Picture category include:
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- F1
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
Topics: Oscars, TV And Film, Celebrity, US News, Entertainment
Rhiannon Ingle