'Oscar Can Never Be Horizontal' — Conan O'Brien Reveals the Weird Academy Demands for Oscars Statues in Promos

In a peculiar twist of events, recent Oscars host Conan O’Brien shared on his podcast, Conan Needs a Friend, that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences turned down his creative promotional ideas for the ceremony. O’Brien had envisioned a series of ads featuring a domestic partnership between himself and a 9-foot tall Oscar statue, but the Academy was less than thrilled with his proposed use of the iconic figure.

O’Brien described one concept where he and the Oscar statue would engage in typical couple squabbles. “We’re fighting about things couples fight about,” he explained. He pitched a scene where the statue would be lying on a large couch, with O’Brien vacuuming and humorously asking it to lift its feet or help with chores like loading the dishwasher. However, the Academy firmly rejected the idea of the Oscar being laid horizontally.

The Academy's strict rules about the Oscar statue's depiction left O’Brien astonished. “One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, ‘Oscar can never be horizontal.’ And that blew my mind,” he recounted. He likened the Oscar to a sacred relic, saying, “Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon.” Additionally, the Academy insisted that the statue must always be portrayed naked, quashing O’Brien’s idea of dressing it in an apron as a housewife serving leftovers.

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45 ImagesWhile the Academy's decisions may seem baffling to outsiders, they are within their rights to enforce such rules. It's unfortunate that fans missed out on experiencing O’Brien’s unique comedic take on the Oscars through these ads. Nonetheless, we remain hopeful that O’Brien will return with equally ingenious ideas for the 2026 Oscars, and we're all in for Team Conan Oscar Host 2026.