Host Conan O’Brien left the audience stunned with a controversial joke referencing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Britain’s Prince Andrew during the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony. The joke referred to the millions of files connected to the Epstein case that were made public in January. The documents reportedly linked the convicted paedophile to several global figures, including Bill Gates and Donald Trump. Among his early lines, O’Brien told the audience: “I’m Conan O’Brien and I’m honored to be the last human host of the Academy Award. But this year, everything’s going great!”Referring to heightened tensions among performing arts communities, O’Brien said: “Security is extremely tight tonight.

Source: The Telegraph March 16, 2026 01:01 UTC