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The Oscars tonight joined the long list of major entertainment and sports events paying tribute to first responders in the wake of the horrific fires that struck Los Angeles in January.
As part of the homage, host Conan O’Brien brought out a group of firefighters from across greater L.A. to tell jokes too hot for him to tell. After all, who could boo our heroes?
A sample from LAFD Captain Eric Scott: “Our hearts go out to all those who lost their homes, and we’re talking about the producers of Joker 2.”
That got some laughs.
Another, playing off Bob Dylan’s sometimes underwhelming vocals, quipped Timothée Chalamet almost didn’t get the lead in A Complete Unknown because he sang the songs too well.
O’Brien referenced the fires and their fallout several times throughout the show, including early on when he paid tribute to below the line workers who make the work being celebrated at the event possible.
“What I want us all to do is remember why we all showed up tonight,” said the comedian. “Oscars honors the hard work of craftspeople.”
O’Brien acknowledged the workers who “year after year, through any number of traumas like the L.A. wildfires, help create the magic, the madness, the grandeur and the joy of film.”
A donation link was then flashed onscreen.
Before the show on the red carpet, Disney CEO Bob Iger told ABC that his company “had well over 150 employees who lost their homes.”
Of course, the Eaton and Palisades fires impacted Angelenos far beyond the studio’s gates, which Iger also noted.
“It was quite a time with thousands of people homeless,” he said.
Indeed. While he never mentioned it, O’Brien is one of those who lost their home in the fires. He’s been living in a hotel ever since.
