Conan O’Brien and Mike Sweeney Reveal Academy Hilariously Treated Oscars Trophy Like ‘Religious Icon’; DEETS

Conan O’Brien and head writer Mike Sweeney share behind-the-scenes stories about hosting the Oscars 2025. Read on to learn about the Academy’s strict, almost sacred rules surrounding the trophy.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Mar 13, 2025 | 06:04 PM GMT | 26K

CC: Getty Images

Conan O'Brien spills the beans on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' stringent Oscar statuette rules in a hilarious podcast episode alongside head writer Mike Sweeney. The duo revealed behind-the-scene moments of creating a promo for this year's awards ceremony, which Conan hosted, where they might have just crossed the line.

O'Brien opened up about the somewhat solemn handling of the beloved Oscar statuette. During an episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, the duo went over making an Oscars telecast promo. Their idea involved having O'Brien in the presence of a giant 9-foot-standing Oscar statue and presenting them both as a fighting household couple.

The veteran talk show host recounted, "We're fighting about things couples fight about. At one point, I thought, wouldn't it be great if it's just on the couch? Let's lay it on a really big couch, and I'll be vacuuming and say, 'Could you at least lift your feet? Or could you at least get up and help? Load the dishwasher?'"

O'Brien envisioned the scene light-heartedly involving the statue lounging on the couch while vacuuming around the statue, while he grumbled about not being offered any assistance.

However, the response he got took him aback. O'Brien said, "We wanted to do it and they just said, 'No, no no, that can't happen.'"

The Academy dismissed the proposal, putting it squarely that the Oscar statuette could not be shown horizontally or with clothing on. Sweeney recalled the Academy members whispering among themselves upon hearing the idea of the stint. He ended up comparing the handling of the gold trophy to a sacred religious relic.

He said, "One of the people from the Academy came forward and said, 'Oscar can never be horizontal.' And that blew my mind. Like, wow, this is like the thigh bone of St. Peter. This is a religious icon."

While the last promo went on the air without these additional gags, Conan O'Brien and his staff worked through more than mere creative constraints. Even with the dropped jokes and changing stories, O'Brien and his writing partner of 30 years, Sweeney managed to find their trademark excellence in the humor.