By Katherine Tinsley
7:06pm PST, Mar 5, 2025
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Concha wanted the television host to avoid discussing politics during the Academy Awards, but O'Brien failed to meet his expectations.
"I was hopeful… that Conan O'Brien, who I thought could never be confused with Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, would not morph into your average MSNBC host," Concha said on Monday, March 3.
"I just thought Conan was a little above this, but of course he went there," he added.
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O'Brien discussed how Anora, which focuses on an American woman marrying the son of a Russian oligarch, took home many awards. The famous redhead used the movie's plot to segue into a Trump diss.
"You know, Anora is having a good night," O'Brien told the crowd.
"That's great news; two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian," he joked, referring to Trump's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.
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Concha also predicted O'Brien's tone led to a decline in ratings.
"We all want escapism when we watch the Oscars, but of course we couldn't get it," he complained. "We'll probably hear that this was the lowest rated Oscars of all time because half the country just reflexively says, 'I'm not going to watch this because I don't want to be lectured.'"
Concha's ratings predication ultimately proved to be false…
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 2025 Oscars attracted 19.69 million viewers — the largest audience in five years — across ABC and Hulu on Sunday, March 2.
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Aside from his thoughts on the Oscars, Concha also shared his thoughts on Trump's desire to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"Conan, here's a little history lesson. Putin invaded other countries under
George W. Bush,
Barack Obama and
Joe Biden," he said.
"The one president who was in office for four years when he didn't invade was Donald Trump, when he was in power," he continued.
