Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were seen laughing on live television after host Conan O'Brien made a joke at the actor's expense during the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
O'Brien, who returned as host for the second consecutive year, opened the ceremony with a pre-recorded segment featuring him edited into several films of the past year, including a scene where he beats Chalamet's ping-pong playing character Marty Supreme. Later, during his monologue, O'Brien referenced Chalamet's recent comments to Variety, in which the actor said he doesn't want to work in ballet or opera because 'no one cares about this any more.' O'Brien joked: 'I should tell you, security is tight tonight, I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.'
Chalamet, who was nominated for Best Actor but lost, appeared to take the jab in good spirits, as he and Jenner were seen laughing in the audience. The joke came amid a week of headlines for Chalamet following his controversial remarks.
O'Brien also noted that for the first time since 2012, there were no British acting nominees, quipping: 'A British spokesperson said “Yeah, at least we arrest our paedophiles.”' He went on to praise the nominated films as representing 'global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and optimism.'
