"Conan O'Brien Exposes Bizarre Oscar Statue Rules for Promos"

In a surprising twist of events, former Oscars host Conan O'Brien shared an intriguing tale on his podcast, "Conan Needs a Friend," about the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' strict rules regarding their iconic Oscar statue. O'Brien and his team had pitched a creative promotional campaign for the Oscars that involved portraying him in a domestic partnership with a 9-foot tall Oscar statue. However, the Academy firmly rejected their ideas, particularly those that involved positioning the statue in unconventional ways.

O'Brien described one of the concepts where he envisioned the Oscar statue lounging on a large couch while he humorously nagged about household chores. "We’re fighting about things couples fight about," O'Brien said, adding, "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 refusal to allow the statue to be laid horizontally stemmed from a surprising rule that O'Brien learned about during the process. "One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, ‘Oscar can never be horizontal.’ And that blew my mind," O'Brien recounted. He likened the statue to a religious icon, highlighting the Academy's strict control over its portrayal. Additionally, the Academy insisted that the statue must remain "always naked," thwarting another of O'Brien's ideas where the Oscar would be depicted wearing an apron while serving leftovers.

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45 ImagesWhile the Academy's decisions might seem overly restrictive, they have the authority to enforce these rules. It's unfortunate that audiences missed out on seeing O'Brien's comedic vision come to life in the promotional ads. Fans are hopeful that O'Brien will return with equally entertaining ideas for future ceremonies, and many are already rooting for him to host the Oscars again in 2026.