In a surprising turn of events, former Oscars host Conan O'Brien revealed the Academy's surprisingly strict rules regarding their iconic statue. During an episode of his podcast, "Conan Needs a Friend," O'Brien recounted how the Academy rejected his team's creative promotional ad pitches, which involved some rather unconventional uses of the Oscar statuette.
O'Brien pitched a series of ads portraying himself and a nine-foot-tall Oscar in a humorous domestic partnership. However, the Academy drew the line at his proposed scenarios. One idea, for instance, involved the Oscar statue lounging on a couch while O'Brien vacuumed, playfully complaining about the statue's posture. The Academy's response? A resounding "no."
"We’re fighting about things couples fight about," O'Brien explained. "At one point, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if it’s just on the couch? Let’s lay it on a really big couch and I’ll be vacuuming and say, ‘Could you at least lift your feet? Or could you at least get up and help? Load the dishwasher?’ We wanted to do it and they just said, ‘No, no no, that can’t happen.’"
The Academy's staunch refusal to deviate from specific rules surrounding the statue's depiction proved puzzling. O'Brien revealed a surprising rule: "Oscar can never be horizontal," a rule he found utterly baffling, likening the statue's perceived sanctity to a "religious icon."
Adding to the peculiarity, the Academy also insisted the statue remain "always naked," thus nixing another idea where the statue donned an apron and served O'Brien leftovers. While the Academy's reasoning may remain unclear, their strict adherence to these rules prevented viewers from witnessing O'Brien's full comedic vision. Here's hoping for more creative freedom in future Oscar campaigns, and we're definitely rooting for Team Conan Oscar Host 2026!
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