Oscars viewers shocked at Drake 'paedophile' joke half way through ceremony

Conan O'Brien left viewers of this year's Academy Awards in a state of shock earlier tonight (2 Mar), by poking fun at the controversial, ongoing feud between rap stars Kendrick Lamar and Drake.

The presenter's comments come just weeks following the former's Super Bowl performance (9 Feb), where he performed a number of his biggest hits during the half-time break, including his 'diss track' of Drake.

The track, 'Not Like Us', previously sparked a highly publicised lawsuit after the Drake sued Universal Music Group for defamation and harassment.

The latter's lawyers previously accused the record label of launching a 'campaign to create a viral hit', being that Lamar, 37, describes the 38-year-old as a 'certified p**dophile' in the track - a claim that he has continuously denied.

Viewers of this year's Oscars might not have expected, therefore, the dispute to be made public - being that the ceremony is famously strict on what can and can't be said during speeches.

Apparently, however, lead host Conan O'Brien sought to break all the rules.

"Well, we're half-way through the show," the comedian began.

"Which means it's time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a 'paedophile'."

After being made with a round of gasps from the live audience, the 61-year-old quipped: "Don't worry - I'm lawyered up. Anyway!"

As we say, the moment has somewhat divided viewers watching from home.

Some were seemingly able to see the funny side of O'Brien's joke.

"Lol drake can't even escape being trolled by the oscars," one teased.

Another jibed: "Drake is never seeing credibility amongst his peers again I’m actually screaming."

A third added: "CALLING DRAKE A PESO AT THE OSCARS LMAO."

Others, meanwhile, were more sympathetic towards the 'Hold On, We're Going Home' musician.

"Drake shots thrown at the oscars he is not safe anywhere," one tweeted.

Another continued: "Taking a shot at drake at the OSCARS of all things is nasty work i'm crying."

"THE DRAKE JOKE OMG-? #Oscars," added another viewer.

The biggest Oscars snubs ever

Citizen Kane loses to How Green Was My Valley (1942)

Orson Welles’ epic tale of the rise and fall of a media baron topped BFI’s Sight & Sound poll of the best films ever made for 40 years, but this apparently wasn’t enough to win an Academy Award.

The gong instead went to How Green Was My Valley, which it’s fair to say has not stood the test of time to quite the same extent.

To add insult to injury, Welles had a falling out with the Academy prior to the ceremony, and the audience booed every time his name was mentioned.

Citizen Kane was nominated for nine Academy Awards, but only took home the statuette for Best Original Screenplay.

E.T. loses to Gandhi (1983)

Even Richard Attenborough, who ended up winning Best Picture for his biopic Gandhi, thought Steven Spielberg’s E.T. should have won.

He is quoted in Joseph McBride’s Steven Spielberg: A Biography as saying of the moment his win was announced: “I didn’t go to the podium, I went over to Spielberg. He got up, I put my arms round him, and I said, ‘This isn’t right, this should be yours'."

Spielberg’s tale of the bond between a lonely child and a horrifying looking alien remains one of the most beloved films of all time, absolutely dominating the box office following its 1982 release

The Shawshank Redemption loses to Forrest Gump (1995)

While both of these films are pretty much universally adored, The Shawshank Redemption still tops IMDb's 250 highest rated list and is regularly cited as one of the greatest movies of all time.

While in hindsight, the fact the film failed to win any of the seven Oscars it was nominated for is pretty odd, The Shawshank Redemption was a box office bomb, and in the year of its release was massively overshadowed by Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.

Nevertheless, one fan admitted they were ‘blown away to find out that the movie didn't win a single Academy Award’ on Reddit.

Saving Private Ryan loses to Shakespeare in Love (1999)

In yet another upset for Steven Spielberg, his epic World War Two drama lost out to romcom Shakespeare in Love.

This has since been chalked up to the sinister machinations of Harvey Weinstein, who Den of Geek reports started a ‘whisper campaign’ claiming the only good part of Saving Private Ryan was the first 20 minutes, with the rest being ‘sentimental hokum’.

DreamWorks marketer Terry Press recalls Spielberg telling him ‘I do not want to get down in the mud with Harvey’ when he was urged to fight back amid Weinstein’s bullish campaign tactics.

Brokeback Mountain loses to Crash (2000)

The following year saw another shock Best Picture upset, with the widely reviled Crash triumphing over Brokeback Mountain.

A Reddit user called it ‘truly the greatest robbery of all time’.

Director Ang Lee claimed in a 2024 Deadline interview that support for his tragic gay love story ‘had a ceiling’ amid the Academy of the time.

He even recalls being told to stay in the wings of the stage in-between his Best Director win and the announcement of Best Picture, being told by a stage manager: “Everybody assumes you will win.”

It’s clear this one still hurts for many cinephiles, with one calling Crash’s win ‘absolutely criminal’.