Conan O’Brien may have been hosting the Oscars for the first time, but that didn’t stop him from delivering one of the most jaw-dropping jokes of the night — and this time, his target was none other than Drake.
Midway through the 97th Academy Awards, O’Brien decided to mark the halfway point with a Super Bowl-inspired quip, referencing Kendrick Lamar’s now-iconic diss track 'Not Like Us' and his explosive halftime performance.
“Well, we're halfway through the show, which means it's time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile,” O’Brien joked, sending the audience into a mix of shock and stunned laughter.
The reaction online was immediate and explosive.
"DRAKE CATCHING STRAYS AT THE OSCARS TOO???????????" one user tweeted in disbelief.
Another added, "Not Drake catching strays at the Oscars as well."
"Drake finna sue Conan o’Brien and @TheAcademy for this since he be filing lawsuits these days," a third added.
A fourth summed up the collective reaction: "Did Conan just say it’s time for Kendrick to come up and call Drake a pedophile?"
Another summed up Drake’s unfortunate night: "Drake getting whacked at the Oscars, Grammys, AND Super Bowl?"
It was certainly a moment that no one saw coming!
Drake’s Rough Year: Grammys, Super Bowl, and Now the Oscars
O’Brien’s joke was just the latest blow in what has been a brutal year for Drake.
The rapper has been at the center of controversy since Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance on February 9, where Lamar performed 'Not Like Us' — a track that accuses Drake of inappropriate behavior and includes the now-viral lyrics: "Trying to strike a chord and it's probably A Minor".
Lamar took the NFL’s biggest stage to drive the point home, joking before launching into the song: "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue."
The jab was a clear reference to Drake’s ongoing lawsuit — though notably, not against Lamar himself. Instead, Drake has filed a legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming the label has prioritized profits over his well-being.
“UMG is masquerading as a champion of artistic freedom by calling its actions merely ‘entertainment,’ but there is nothing entertaining about pedophilia or child abuse in the real world,” his legal team stated.
While the lawsuit unfolds, Drake has continued to face public humiliation — first at the Grammys, then at the Super Bowl, and now, unexpectedly, at the Oscars.
Conan O’Brien’s Oscars Hosting Style: Unfiltered and Unapologetic
O’Brien’s first-ever turn as Oscars host has been enjoyable thus far, with his jokes ranging from biting Hollywood satire to headline-making moments like this one.
From the moment he took the stage, O’Brien made it clear he wasn’t going to play it safe, and his ability to weave current pop culture drama into the Oscars’ high-brow setting was part of what made his performance so unpredictable.
While some saw the Drake joke as too harsh, others praised the late-night legend for keeping the show lively and unpredictable.
"Ok, that was actually pretty funny," one viewer tweeted.
The first of O'Brien's most jaw-dropping jokes came when he took a shot at nominee Karla Sofía Gascón and her tweeting controversy.
After warming up the audience, O’Brien didn’t shy away from controversy, directly addressing the ongoing backlash surrounding Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón’s resurfaced social media posts.
"Fun fact: Anora drops the F-word 479 times," O’Brien joked. "That’s three more than Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist."
Mimicking the frantic reaction of Gascón’s team, he raised his voice and exclaimed: “You tweeted WHAT?!”, before playfully dancing across the stage.
The camera then panned to Gascón, who appeared to take the joke in stride, pressing her hands together in a mock prayer gesture. Seizing the moment, O’Brien quipped, “Karla, if you’re going to tweet about the Oscars, just remember—my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”
With the night still unfolding, one thing was clear—O’Brien wasn’t holding back, and his Oscars debut was anything but forgettable.