Conan O'Brien took aim at the controversy surrounding Emilia Pérez and its star Karla Sofía Gascón during his opening monologue at the 2025 Oscars ceremony.
The Netflix musical drama had initially received a record-breaking number of Academy Award nominations for a foreign-language film.
However, the film's prospects were severely damaged after offensive social media posts made by Gascón resurfaced earlier this year.
The controversy quickly overshadowed the film's artistic merits, with Gascón's subsequent unauthorised interview attempt only worsening the situation.
Despite speculation that Gascón might skip the ceremony altogether, the actress did attend, only to become the target of O'Brien's pointed jokes.
The host didn't hold back as he addressed the social media firestorm that had engulfed both the film and its leading actress.
Oscars 2025: Conan O'Brien pulled no punches with his jibes about the Emilia Perez star
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O'Brien's first jibe came whilst discussing Sean Baker's film Anora, which he noted "uses the F-word 479 times".
The host then delivered his punchline, claiming this was "three times more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón's publicist".
The joke directly referenced the behind-the-scenes crisis management that followed the revelation of Gascón's controversial social media history.
The audience let out a chorus of unsure groans while O'Brien proceeded to dance on stage and revel in the reaction.
Conan O’Brien jokes about Karla Sofía Gascòn’s controvery during his opening monologue for the Oscars 👀
— What's Trending (@WhatsTrending) March 3, 2025
Credit: ABC#oscars #emiliaperez #karlasofíagascón pic.twitter.com/FU3Ao2wLDP
In January 2025, posts made by Gascón between 2019 and 2021 resurfaced, containing what were widely described as bigoted comments against various communities.
These included inflammatory remarks about Islam, Catalanophobic content, and comments questioning whether the Oscars had become an "Afro-Korean festival" or a "Black Lives Matter demonstration".
The controversy led to Gascón deleting the posts and issuing an apology before deactivating her social media accounts entirely.
O'Brien didn't stop at one joke at Gascón's expense, continuing his comedic assault with a follow-up quip.
The host suggested that if Gascón were to express frustration about being ridiculed in front of millions of viewers worldwide, he had a plan ready.
O'Brien joked that he was "happy to share his name: Jimmy Kimmel" as the person responsible for the jokes.
For Gascón, who had already faced significant backlash, the jokes may have added salt to an already painful wound.
The controversy surrounding Gascón had significant professional consequences for the actress.
She was dropped from promotional activities for Emilia Pérez, including award shows. The planned publication of her book was also cancelled following the backlash.
Gascón later described herself as a victim of cancel culture.
Prior to the controversy, Gascón had made history as the first transgender actress to win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, sharing the honour with her three female co-stars.
She was also the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Karla Sofia Gascon has since tearfully defended herself since the tweets emerged CNNGascón, who transitioned in 2018, had previously enjoyed a successful career in both Spanish and Mexican productions.
The Spanish actress, who considers herself "Mexican by adoption", currently lives in her hometown of Alcobendas, Spain.
