One of the best bits of the 2025 Oscars so far was Conan O’Brien’s “CinemaStreams” segment, but it missed one thing that would have made it perfect: Nicole Kidman. Shockingly, this year was the first time O’Brien has ever hosted the Oscars, even though he’s hosted plenty of other major awards shows – a fact that Oscars 2025 narrator Nick Offerman poked fun at, much to Conan’s chagrin.

But O’Brien has been fantastic all night as he’s ushered the show along in between revealing the Oscars 2025 winners, with his opening monologue and bonkers musical number winning audiences over and his jokes landing all night. One of the biggest laughs was his pre-taped “CinemaStreams” bit, where he pitched movie lovers this new concept of streaming their movies…live, on a giant screen, in an actual theater. As great as the joke was, one thing would have made it even better.

Conan’s CinemaStreams Oscars Joke Should Have Included Nicole Kidman

After All, She Helps Make Movies Magic

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It was a great bit, but considering it was a bit about Conan O’Brien pitching people to ditch streaming and go to the movies, it felt like a missed opportunity to have Nicole Kidman there. After all, Kidman’s viral ad for AMC about the magic of movies has become iconic, a meme in and of itself. It’s enough that she cringes every time it comes on – even if she went viral because she’s so beloved.

Bringing Kidman in as a nod to her viral ad would have been right in the spirit of the night, as the 2025 Academy Awards have been the biggest and most purely loving celebration of movies in years. The past few years, the Oscars have struggled to soar above the weight of current events and various backlash movements weighing them down, but this year, so far, they have soared. There was a lot of goodwill and fun in the room, and Kidman’s joyful enthusiasm for movies would have fit right into O’Brien’s skit.

The Joke Was Still One Of The Best Of The Night

Conan Has Been Excellent As The Oscars 2025 Host

Even without Nicole Kidman, the joke was still one of the best segments of the night. Conan’s pitch-perfect ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan humor sold it, and he managed to poke fun at our overreliance on streaming without coming across as a jerk. Considering Hulu’s debacle with crashing during the 2025 Oscars, the bit about watching movies in theaters instead of on unreliable streaming platforms ironically hit even harder, too. Luckily for the 2025 Oscars, the show was far better executed and better-received than the platform it streamed on, all thanks to O’Brien’s zany humor.

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