Conan O’Brien Targets Kid Rock in Oscars Joke
Conan O’Brien used his opening monologue at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15 to take a shot at Kid Rock, riffing on the idea that viewers uneasy with politics could watch an “alternate Oscars” elsewhere. The remark landed early in the ceremony as O’Brien addressed the room in Los Angeles and warned the night “could get political.”
During the bit, USA TODAY reported that O’Brien told the audience an “alternate Oscars” would be “hosted by Kid Rock” at “the Dave & Buster’s down the street,” framing it as a tongue-in-cheek option for anyone made uncomfortable by political jokes.
The gag referenced Turning Point USA’s “All American Halftime Show,” a conservative alternative event staged in February and promoted as a counter-programming move after the NFL selected Bad Bunny to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. USA TODAY noted that Kid Rock, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, was featured as Turning Point USA’s headliner alongside several country artists.
O’Brien has built much of his post-talk-show career around live appearances and event hosting, and the Oscars slot put him back in the centre of pop-culture conversation. His relationship with Hollywood’s political temperature has also surfaced in lighter offstage moments, including a previous story where Rob Reiner was “scared” at Conan O’Brien’s party.
With the ceremony still unfolding, O’Brien’s Kid Rock line quickly became one of the night’s early headline moments, underscoring how the Oscars monologue can double as a barometer for culture-war flashpoints as much as it does a celebration of film.
