Oscars host Conan O'Brien started the 98th Oscars with a series of jokes about artificial intelligence and other nominees, including Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet, who is facing criticism for comments he made about opera and ballet in a recent interview. The host also mentioned the security situation at the event due to concerns over attacks from both the opera and the ballet communies. O'Neill also mentioned that next year's host will be Waymo in a tux. He also mentioned a competing Oscars show hosted by Kid Rock, a reference to the Turning Point USA Super Bowl Halftime counterprogramming "All-American Halftime Show".