Conan O’Brien ‘Reads the Room’ to Recover From Oscars Joke and the Presenter Who Was Totally Out of Their Element
Last year’s Oscars host Conan O’Brien returned to emcee the 98th Academy Awards and hit a few high notes with jokes about some Hollywood stars and the current state of the industry.
He predicted that he’d be the last human to host the ceremony, saying, “Next year, it will be a Waymo with a tux.”
O’Brien also took a jab at actor Timothée Chalamet over his ballet and opera controversy, joking, “Security is extremely tight tonight. Just gotta mention that … I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities …They’re just mad you left out jazz.”
Just like for anyone who has ever hosted a major award show, the reactions from a large global audience the following day are usually mixed. Some praised O’Brien’s humor throughout, while others said it fell flat and described it as dull and out of touch. Here’s what an expert noticed about O’Brien’s delivery and recovery when a joke fell flat, plus which presenter was clearly out of their element while onstage during the show.
Conan O’Brien reading the room – and recovering it
Renowned body language expert and SAG/AFTRA Member Dr. Lillian Glass noted that O’Brien opened the ceremony “having set an explicit tone of keeping the night light and good-natured. During his monologue, one joke landed with initial audience hesitation — an audible ‘ooh’ rippling through the room, before the crowd got the punchline and broke into loud laughter.”
According to Dr. Glass, the moment of audience hesitation followed by release is a fascinating body language event in its own right. A crowd that collectively tenses and then relaxes tells you the joke pushed right to the edge of acceptable — which is exactly where the best live comedy lives. Conan’s composed delivery throughout, without breaking or over-explaining, showed the confidence of someone who knew where he was taking them. His relaxed physicality helped signal to the room that the evening would remain warm rather than combative.
Speaking on behalf of Casino Guru, Dr. Glass explained, “Even though Conan O’Brien had a long night ahead of him, he was warm and very relaxed. It was good-natured to the nominees. His parody on winning an Oscar and humility was hilarious and continued to set the tone to be humble and gracious.”
High-profile presenter appeared ‘uncomfortable’ and so did the audience
Fashion icon Anna Wintour joined the Devil Wears Prada 2 star Anne Hathaway on stage to present the award for Best Costume Design, but Vogue’s former editor-in-chief did not look comfortable at all in front of the cameras.
Dr. Glass pointed out that Wintour’s “repeated hand rubbing and fidgeting are classic self-soothing behaviors that appear when someone feels uneasy or out of place. For someone more accustomed to being a powerful presence behind the scenes, being on stage in front of a global audience is an entirely different experience — and the body language gave it away.”
The expert added that “Not only was [Anna] uncomfortable with her body language, but she also made the audience feel uncomfortable as well.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges that conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
