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Video clip of Conan O'Brien speaking Chinese at Oscar is picked up by some Chinese social media platforms. Photo: the screenshot of the Oscars livestream on ABC.

Oscar host Conan O'Brien spoke Chinese with "awkward pronunciation" during the 97th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday local time, "asking people to hire him in their movies as he is mired in financial debt." The small episode sparked various reactions from some Chinese netizens, from being amused to criticism.  

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. In the opening monologue, the event's host, Conan O'Brien, unexpectedly spoke in Spanish, Hindi, and Chinese to address local viewers, according to the Oscars livestream on ABC. 

It wasn't the first time Chinese language was featured at the Oscars, but after some media outlets reposted the video clip on Weibo, Conan's pronunciation caught the attention of some Chinese netizens.

Some netizen admitted they "couldn't understand" and were grateful for the English subtitles in the video.

According to the subtitles, Conan's Chinese message was: "I am in serious financial debt. Please consider using me in your many films. I beg you."

One netizen praised Conan for his "commendable spirit" and said "with more practice, we might understand him better in the future."

Meanwhile, some netizens found his Chinese pronunciation and expression a bit awkward. One netizen expressed discomfort with the content of his message, interpreting it as a suggestion that making films in China is primarily about short-term financial gain.

Besides, a netizen remarked another previous instance where Conan sang a Chinese song with Australian actor Hugh Jackman on the show.

A similar instance in the past occurred when American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino appeared on Conan talk show and told Conan that he had learned a Chinese slang in China, which meant "super cool." A related video clip used to get ten million views on China's various social media platforms, including bilibili, becoming a topic of amusement among netizens.