The Brett Cooper Show

Episode 152: I Sat Through The Oscars So You Don’t Have To

Date: March 17, 2026
Host: Brett Cooper

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brett Cooper recaps the 2026 Oscars from the perspective of a bored, but observant millennial, highlighting the generational disconnect plaguing Hollywood. Brett explores how superficial attempts to connect with Gen Z, lackluster entertainment, and an obvious lag behind the broader media landscape made the Oscars flat and forgettable. Despite being nearly apolitical and missing the expected “outrage content,” the show’s few genuine or humorous moments underscored Hollywood’s struggles with relevance—a problem Brett connects to larger trends in media, values, and culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Oscars: Boredom, Length, and Missed Entertainment (01:00–04:50)

• Brett admits to watching the entire show only to find content for the podcast:
  • "It was possibly the most boring evening of my life." (01:05)
• Highlights the show's general lack of entertainment:
  • Despite being "professional entertainers... I painfully struggled to squeeze out a chuckle at various points of the show." (01:20)
• Critique on presenters’ segments:
  • "We desperately must cut back the time allotted to the presenters. It was painful." (03:01)
  • Describes a new category (casting directors) where each actor presented lengthy tributes, dragging on for “10 minutes...and we haven’t even started the big five categories. I’ve got a baby to put to bed!” (03:45)

2. Political Content—Or (Mostly) the Lack Thereof (04:51–09:33)

• Brett observes the show was "relatively apolitical, much to the disappointment of thirsty journalists and conservative commentators everywhere"—no “Iran, no ICE, no Trump, nothing. Just producers and their mothers.” (05:15)
• Notes the most political moments came from awards in "lesser categories," notably:
  • Best Animated Picture: "K Pop Demon Hunters" creator apologized to Koreans for it taking so long to win—Brett rebuts, “Lady, Koreans have won before. Asians have won plenty of times...did you forget Parasite in 2020?!” (06:20)
  • Best Live Action Short: Team made a speech celebrating their all-female, queer crew, then an awkward moment as a male team member tried to edge in with further diversity references, leading to an "agonizing" microphone and lighting cut-off.
    • “We spent all this time, raised the microphone back up for THAT. Seriously, get off the stage. Goodbye.” (07:45)
  • Best Documentary: Acceptable political references about Russian politics/Putin, “because it was a political documentary—they get a pass.” (08:30)
• Mocks the New York Times' preemptive op-ed ("Oscar winners. Will you be complicit?") imploring stars to “go off on Trump":
  • “Like, what delusional reality are you living in?” (09:20)

3. Detachment from the Films—A Broader Problem (09:34–12:20)

• Brett admits to previous Oscar enthusiasm (“eight to ten years ago, I watched every single film...had Oscar parties with movie-themed appetizers”) but this year had “no skin in the game.” (10:10)
• Notes the surprise win for “One Battle After Another,” a film she’d never heard of, beating the heavily-campaigned “Marty Supreme” and “Sinners.”
  • “Honestly makes me happy that they won, because I think that means it was actually a good film. They weren’t spending millions on social media campaigns.” (11:15)
• Questions whether her ignorance reflects on her, or Hollywood’s slip in relevance:
  • “I don't know if that says more about me or...the relevance of Hollywood.” (12:00)

4. Hollywood’s Self-Awareness & Conan O’Brien’s Host Jokes (12:21–21:00)

The “Through Line” of Conan’s Performance

• Brett recognizes Conan’s jokes as the most honest and self-aware—"the world is changing and Hollywood is totally disconnected." (12:35)
  • “The parts of the show when Conan brought all of that up were actually the funniest to me because they felt honest, they were kind of self-deprecating, they were self-aware, which...makes for the best comedy.” (12:40)

Notable Conan Jokes & Skits (with Timestamps)

• [13:19] Opening Monologue (AI Joke):

  • "Next year, some AI robot will be hosting the Oscars..."
    • Brett: “He might not be wrong. AI was a big topic throughout the night.” (13:21)

• [13:28] Netflix CEO (Ted Sarandos) Roast:

  • Conan: “Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is here and this is exciting. It’s his first time in a theater.”
  • Brett: “I literally was cackling out loud. This was the hardest I laughed in the entire show.” (13:30)

• [14:56] Oscars Streaming on YouTube Skit:

  • Conan: “Starting in 2029, instead of ABC, the Oscars are going to air solely on YouTube. It’s the future... Some people are worried this will change how the Oscars are viewed, but I’ve been assured there will not be—”
  • Interrupts himself for a spoof targeted YouTube ad:
    • Ad Voice: “Jay Lynch for Beam Pro tactical flashlights...The same flashlight that killed Bin Laden.”
    • Conan: “Sorry about that. But like I said, I don’t think this is going to change the Oscars at all...”
    • Ad Voice: “Have you been injured in a tactical flashlight related incident?”
  • Brett: “It’s funny because it’s real...that’s the world we live in.” (15:46)

• [19:39] Mocking Gen Z—“Brain Rot Mode” Oscar Segment:

  • Conan: “When you’re hostmasking the Oscars and low pennuanly trying to rizz up the younger demographic by going brain rot mode... fame pilled NPCs... S tier level aura farming...” (19:39)
  • Brett: “The clavicular lexicon officially made its way to Hollywood. ...I appreciated that he called all of the actors and actresses fame pilled NPCs—might be the most honest thing we got.” (20:06)

5. Are Oscars Embracing the Viral Age, But Too Late? (21:01–24:30)

• Observes the Academy’s slow catch-up with changing media:
  • “Starting in 2029, the Oscars will stream exclusively on YouTube...Will they be nine years too late? Probably.” (14:19)
• Describes how viewership metrics shifted post-2025, with increased attention to streaming and social media clipping:
  • “While the ratings night of were not actually that high, they did perform better than the super bowl on social media. That is at least something.” (22:50)
• Notes that even with social push, what really trended wasn't the show or skits, but drama about Timothee Chalamet:
  • “Those views...were not because of Conan’s skits...it was people talking about Timothee Chalamet... that took the place of politics on Sunday night.” (23:10)
  • Recalls red carpet interviews where most celebrities “couldn’t name a favorite opera or ballet,” even as they mocked Chalamet for his own opera/ballet comment, proving his viral point. (23:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brett, on the presenters:
  • “I was sitting there on the couch like, oh my God, please get off the screen.” (03:10)
• On the "lack" of politics:
  • “No Iran, no ICE, no Trump, nothing. Just producers and their mothers.” (05:08)
• On the New York Times:
  • “Like, what delusional reality are you living in? ...Kudos to the New York Times on calling Hollywood out. Would hate to see them miss this opportunity.” (09:10)
• On Conan’s jokes and honesty:
  • "It did feel like Conan was... preparing this whole group for the future and acknowledging how society feels about them, which in a lot of ways is not great.” (21:00)
• On the show’s viral moments:
  • “Pretending to be self-awareness maxing can’t save you from cringe maxing and bad Hollywood writer maxing.” (22:45) — paraphrasing a commenter

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 | Brett’s general take: “most boring evening of my life” | | 03:01 | Critique of drawn-out presenter segments | | 05:15 | Politics-lite Oscars: apolitical big categories | | 06:20 | “K Pop Demon Hunters” apology speech—Brett’s rebuttal | | 07:45 | Best Live Action Short Film diversity speech/political awkwardness | | 09:20 | New York Times article satire | | 10:10 | Brett reminisces about old Oscar enthusiasm | | 11:15 | “One Battle After Another” upset win and implications | | 13:19 | Conan jokes about AI hosting Oscars | | 13:28 | Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos roast | | 14:56 | Oscars streaming on YouTube, YouTube ad spoof | | 19:39 | Conan’s Gen Z/“brain rot mode” lexicon joke | | 21:50 | Hollywood adapting metrics to streaming/social media | | 23:10 | Timothee Chalamet dominated social chatter |

Thematic Takeaways

• Hollywood lags behind in entertainment and cultural relevance, even as it tries—awkwardly—to adapt to new media forms and Gen Z tastes.
• Despite superficial self-awareness (and acerbic jokes from Conan), attempts to “go viral” or engage with the digital landscape feel belated and half-hearted.
• Audiences and cultural engagement may now hinge more on spontaneous controversies and internet personalities than on planned, rehearsed content.
• Bret’s tone is candid, snarky, self-deprecating, and ultimately calls for Hollywood to recognize and bridge its growing disconnect with new generations and online culture.

Conclusion

If you didn’t watch the Oscars, Brett’s take makes clear: you didn’t miss much in terms of genuine entertainment or cultural moments. The main event wasn’t the ceremony itself, but its awkward attempts at self-parody, its evident generational lag, and the viral drama generated more by attendees’ side comments than the awards themselves. The show embodied an establishment struggling—sometimes wittily, sometimes painfully—to pretend it’s still at the center of cultural gravity.