Oscars 2025: Conan O’Brien mocks Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofia Gascon with Anora joke; here’s what happened

Oscars 2025: Oscars host Conan O'Brien, in his unique style, took a dig at Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón over her recent social media controversy, with a subtle joke on Best Picture awardee Sean Baker's Anora.

“I loved Anora. I really did,” joked Conan O'Brien. But what began as a joke turned into a surprising fact about more than just the movie.

Presenting a “little fact” for the audience, he said, “'Anora' uses the F-word 479 times. That's three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón's publicist.”

He then told the Emilia Pérez actress, who came under fire in recent weeks for past offensive social media posts, “Karla, if you're going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”

What’s the deal with ‘Emilia Pérez’?

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a narco-musical about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, comes in with a leading 13 nominations.

At one point, the film seemed like Netflix’s best chance yet to land the streamer its first Best Picture win. Its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar.

But no nominee has had a rockier post-nominations Oscar campaign.

A month before the award show, old offensive tweets of Gascón in which the actor appears to express controversial views on Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars were uncovered.

She had, however, issued an apology for them.

In a statement to Variety, Gascon apologised saying, “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt.”

“As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness,” she added.

The fallout, though, has badly damaged a movie that was already a divisive contender and led Netflix to radically refocus its flagging campaign.

All things considered, though, the film did well at France’s Césars — its home country’s Oscars equivalent — on Friday.

Anora's Oscar wins

Sean Baker's Anora, a comedy-drama about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, fetched five Oscar awards out of six nominations across major categories at the 97th Academy Awards.

Anora has won the Academy Award for Best Picture and original screenplay. 

Baker also directed, produced and edited the film starring Mikey Madison.

Baker won the Oscar for Best Directing and editing on Anora. The film also fetched Mikey the Best Actress award this Oscars.

The film is Baker's biggest success. It had a $6 million budget and has earned over $40 million at the box office.

“Anora” won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, making Baker the first American director since Terrance Malick in 2011 to take the festival's top prize.

(With agency inputs)