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Conan O\u2019Brien returned to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday as the host of the 98th annual Academy Awards<\/a> \u2014 a job that allowed him to poke fun at the current state of both Hollywood and the world.<\/p>\n O\u2019Brien, who also hosted last year\u2019s Oscars ceremony less than\u00a0two months after devastating fires swept through Los Angeles, declared in his opening monologue: \u201cLast year, when I hosted, Los Angeles was on fire. But this year, everything\u2019s going great.\u201d Alas, that sentiment proved to be tongue-in-cheek as next year, O\u2019Brien said, the host will be a self-driving \u201cWayMo in a tux.\u201d<\/p>\n As long as the Oscars had a human host, however, O\u2019Brien planned to make the best of it: His opening sketch saw him inserting himself into moments from the Best Picture nominees \u2014\u00a0and that included donning Oscar winner Amy Madigan\u2019s wig from Weapons.<\/em><\/p>\n As the host also appeared this year in the film If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You <\/em>opposite Rose Byrne, he also launched into a musical sketch \u2014 featuring singer Josh Groban, a falcon, a crown and an anointment by the Pope \u2014 that imagined O\u2019Brien taking home one of those golden trophies.<\/p>\n But O\u2019Brien also took the opening moments of the show to share his earnest feelings about what the Academy Awards mean.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone watching around the world is all too aware that these are very chaotic, frightening times,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s at moments like these that I believe that the Oscars are particularly resonant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery film we salute is the product of thousands of people speaking different languages, working hard to make something of beauty,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe pay tribute tonight, not to just film but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today, optimism.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are some of the highlights from O\u2019Brien\u2019s second time hosting the Oscars.<\/p>\n During his opening montage, O\u2019Brien delivered a string of sharp jokes about the year\u2019s films and the film industry itself. Poking fun at some of the season\u2019s titles, he quipped, \u201cBetween Hamnet<\/em> and Bugonia<\/em> it\u2019s been a big year for movies that sound like off-brand lunch meat,\u201d before adding, \u201cAt the beginning of Hamnet<\/em>, a message comes on the screen explaining that the names Hamnet and Hamlet were used interchangeably. That\u2019s when I knew I better buckle up.\u201d<\/p>\n He also took aim at blockbuster storytelling, joking that F1 is \u201cthe story of a race car driver who finally wins after deciding to go faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning to the industry, he noted, \u201cSinners<\/em> director Ryan Coogler said he declined to become a voting member of the Academy because he doesn\u2019t like judging his fellow artists\u2019 work,\u201d then addressed the crowd with, \u201cBut the rest of you pricks seem to love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Marty Supreme <\/em>actor Chalamet got into hot water when he made a comment about people no longer caring about ballet and opera<\/a>. O\u2019Brien joked about security being tighter at the awards show this year due to the ire from both of those communities seeking revenge on Chalamet.<\/p>\n And that wasn\u2019t the only major Chalamet reference O\u2019Brien made during the ceremony: The host also introduced a new instrument in the orchestra called the \u201cChalamet bum drum\u201d that looked just like Chalamet\u2019s backside getting whacked with ping pong paddles \u2014\u00a0a nod to his role in Marty Supreme<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n President Trump recently stirred controversy when he announced he would rename the Kennedy Center the \u201cKennedy Trump Center.\u201d<\/a> In one of the few overtly political jokes of the night, O\u2019Brien said, \u201cWe\u2019re coming to you live from the Has A Small Penis Theater. Let\u2019s see him put his name in front of that.\u201d<\/p>\nO\u2019Brien roasts this year\u2019s Oscar contenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n
O\u2019Brien teased Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet about his recent controversy\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
O\u2019Brien takes a shot at Trump\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
O\u2019Brien eases all our fears about the Oscars moving to YouTube<\/strong><\/h2>\n