Conan O’Brien kicked off the 97th Academy Awards Sunday with a slick zinger aimed at “Emilia Pérez” actor Karla Sofia Gascón.
O’Brien made direct eye contact with the trans actor at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, openly ridiculing the controversy surrounding recently unearthed, unsavory tweets.. O’Brien joked that Best Picture nominee “Anora” used “the f-word 479 times,” then added, “that’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist!” Gascón was effectively canceled after troubling tweets including Islamophobic references and commentary about George Floyd were shared widely on social media. The camera quickly panned to the actor who looked wickedly uncomfortable after being called out.
O’Brien wasn’t finished yet.
He laced into the actor once more by sarcastically saying, “Karla, if you are gonna tweet about the Oscars my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”
Gascón’s tweets triggered Netflix to distance itself from trans “Emilia Pérez” star just as the awards season kicked off. The streaming giant scrubbed images of Gascón from their Oscars campaign and halted funding that was initially promised to the actor for travel and costume benefits, as part of the film’s promotion. (RELATED: Netflix Seems To Be Really Regretting Hitching Its Wagon To Trans Actor Karla Sofia Gascón)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Karla Sofía Gascón is seen during the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 02, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
That wasn’t the end of Gascón’s troubles.
Co-star Zoë Saldaña took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for “Emilia Pérez” and acknowledged everyone under the sun in her passionate acceptance speech – except Gascón.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
