Oscars host Conan O’Brien surprised the audience with his Hindi speech dedicated to Indian audiences at the 97th Academy Awards this year, held at the Dolby Theatre on Monday.
While carrying out his hosting duties at the award ceremony, O’Brien said, “For those of you watching from India, I want to say Bharat ke logon ko namaskar wahan subah ho chuki hai toh mujhe ummeed hai ki naashte ke saath Oscars kar rahe hain (Greetings to the people of India, it's morning there, so I hope you're having breakfast with the Oscars).
O'Brien’s unexpected greetings for Indian audiences in Hindi at the ceremony took many by surprise, eliciting a flurry of reactions online. A section of users on social media praised the American Late-night show host for his attempt to speak in Hindi.
“Conan O'Brien deserves an Oscar for best attempt at a foreign language! Good job, though the Hindi was definitely Hinding! #Oscars2025,” said a user.
“#ConanOBrien kicked off the #Oscar ceremony with a thoughtful shoutout to India. Spoke in Hindi to connect with viewers in India #Oscars2025,” wrote another.
He began by poking fun at the nominees, including a humorous sketch where he appeared behind Demi Moore, referencing the horror film The Substance. O'Brien also addressed the controversy surrounding Karla Sofia Gascon, star of Emilia Perez, who faced backlash over her social media posts recently.
The 97th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 2. The ceremony was live-streamed on JioHotstar on March 3 at 5.30am (IST).
