Conan O’Brien revealed on his podcast that nearly all of the sketches and jokes from this year’s Oscars telecast were scrapped due to production issues. The initial plan included a four-minute spoof video featuring O’Brien as characters from top films, including Wicked, Gladiator II, and Dune: Part Two. However, the green dye used in the makeup for these scenes wouldn’t come off easily, forcing the show to be filmed in one day.
The writers also considered other ideas, such as a scene where O’Brien is shown emerging fully dressed from Demi Moore’s back or a sandworm coming out of the orchestra to present an award. However, these plans were ultimately scrapped due to concerns over logistics and audience reception. One notable idea was the Oscar statuette being depicted as a domestic couple, but even that concept was deemed too risqué for broadcast.
Despite the failed sketches, O’Brien acknowledged that some jokes did fall flat, particularly those relying on physical gestures. However, he did find one visual gag about Jeff Bezos being delivered in an Amazon parcel to be amusing.
Source: https://deadline.com/2025/03/conan-obrien-recaps-oscar-hosting-stint-wicked-dune-sandworm-1236325289