Conan O’Brien Jokes About Karla Sofía Gascón’s Controversy At Oscars 2025: ‘You Tweeted WHAT?’

Karla Sofía Gascón, who has faced intense scrutiny over past tweets, was the subject of a sharp joke from Oscars host Conan O’Brien during Sunday’s Academy Awards.

As the Emilia Pérez actress, 52, sat in the audience at the Dolby Theatre, O’Brien took aim at her social media scandal in his opening monologue.

“I loved Anora. I really did,” he quipped. “‘Anora’ uses the f-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist: ‘You tweeted WHAT?’”

As the crowd reacted with a slow clap, O’Brien leaned into the moment, dancing a small jig before adding, “Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight and, Karla, if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”

The camera then cut to Gascón, who smiled and nodded in response.

Despite the controversy, Gascón made history as the first openly transgender nominee for Best Actress. Her film Emilia Pérez, a Netflix musical thriller about a Mexican cartel leader who transitions into a woman, received 13 nominations, making it one of the most recognized films of the night.

In January, Gascón’s past tweets resurfaced, including comments about Muslim immigrants in Spain and criticisms of George Floyd protests. The backlash was swift, leading her to deactivate her X account and issue multiple apologies.

Director Jacques Audiard later condemned her remarks as “inexcusable” and admitted they affected his perception of their work together. Co-star Zoe Saldaña also expressed disappointment, calling the situation “sad.”

Gascón addressed the controversy in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to all those who believed in me,” she said.

While Saldaña won Best Supporting Actress at the SAG Awards for Emilia Pérez, she notably did not mention Gascón in her acceptance speech.