Conan O'Brien's opening monologue addressed global issues such as AI, world strife, and Timothée Chalamet. The actor, nominated for Best Actor for Best of the Year, was seen in a pre-taped segment where he played along with Chalmet and played ping-pong with him. The comments were made in reference to Chalmets' controversial comments on a podcast about ballet and opera, which sparked backlash and backlash.