Conan O’Brien boldly mocking Karla Sofia Gascon in front of her prompts groans from Oscars audience

‘Emilia Pérez’ star was a surprise attendee at the ceremony after facing accusations of racism and Islamophobia

Oscars 2025 host Conan O’Brien drew groans for his joke about controversial Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón.

During the awards campaign, Best Actress nominee Gascón found herself at the centre of a string of controversies after accusations of racism and Islamophobia when social media posts resurfaced.

Despite Gascón being in the audience, O’Brien didn’t hold back when addressing the subject during his “incredibly silly”, but otherwise tame, opening monologue.

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“Anora uses the ‘F-word’ 479 times – that’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” the comedian and TV personality said.

He continued: “Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight – and Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”

Netflix distanced itself from the star of the movie musical – with reports claiming that Gascón would have to pay for her own flight should she wish to attend the ceremony. It’s unknown if this was the case.

O’Brien, who also hit out at Trump and Putin, was referencing the fact that Kimmel hosted the ceremony in 2023 and 2024.

Oscars host Conan O’Brien poked fun at the Karla Sofía Gascón controversy when he joked about her during his opening monologue (Getty Images)

Later in the ceremony, he shocked with “a paedophile” joke about Canadian rapper Drake, which drew gasps from the crowd.

This year’s Oscars race was the closest in years, with the ceremony considered a three-horse race between Sean Baker’s critical darling Anora, Brady Corbet’s sweeping epic The Brutalist and pope drama Conclave.

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Ultimately, Anora became the evening’s big winner, taking home five trophies in total, including Best Picture.

Actors in contention to become Oscar winners included Demi Moore (The Substance) and Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) – but both lost out on the night, with Mikey Madison taking home Best Actress and Adrien Brody winning his second Oscar for his role in The Brutalist.

The actor was criticised for his “indulgent” acceptance speech after appearing to throw his chewing gum at his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman.

Elsewhere, Andrew Garfield was praised for a touching interaction with Goldie Hawn and viewers hit out at a Bond tribute for being the ceremony’s “worst” moment in years.