"That was f*cking cool” - Conan O’Brien details meeting Mick Jagger for first time at Oscars 2025

"That was f*cking cool.”

That was Conan O’Brien's immediate reaction following an unexpected backstage run-in with Mick Jagger at the 2025 Academy Awards. He said this immediately after ending the conversation with Jagger when he saw his colleague take a video of their interaction.

Hosting the Oscars for the first time came with a lot of pressure for Conan O’Brien, but his brief exchange with the Rolling Stones frontman turned into one of his most memorable moments of the night.

Conan O'Brien discussed how his talk with Jagger changed his viewpoint on performance anxiety and the common problems that all performers, regardless of their level of expertise or notoriety, encounter on his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Waiting in the wings close to O’Brien was Jagger, who came to the Oscars to deliver the Best Original Song award. Jagger shocked O'Brien by expressing anxiety about the enthusiasm of the crowd, even though he was one of the most renowned rock artists in history.

The frontman disclosed that, even while performing for the Rolling Stones, he uses earphones to listen to the audience before every show to determine their mood. Jagger informed him,

"I always worry about the crowd,"

saying it helped him determine if he should

"give it a little extra up front."

O’Brien, a rock and roll fan, had the most unexpected opportunity to meet a rock legend. He was anxious about hosting the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest night, but he found solace in Jagger's words. He mentioned that he was surprised to hear that Jagger himself had stage anxiety. He found it really comforting when Jagger spoke to him.

O’Brien recounted,

“I was kind of intimidated because I didn’t know what he would be like..."

He continued,

“But he was incredibly nice… He was great and funny and thoughtful, and I had a great exchange with him.”

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More about Conan O’Brien's Oscar Night

A rejected opening sequence and stringent guidelines regarding the portrayal of the Oscar trophy were among the innovative ideas for the 2025 Oscars that Conan O’Brien and his head writer, Mike Sweeney, disclosed on the same podcast episode.

Conan O’Brien's initial concept for the opening included parodying several nominated films, beginning with Wicked, in which he would appear completely green-painted before inadvertently carrying the green tint into Gladiator II and Conclave, which resulted in jokes from characters like Count Orlok from Nosferatu.

Due in part to production limitations and the Los Angeles wildfires, which altered the ceremony's arrangements, the sequence—intended to be a tribute to Billy Crystal's iconic Oscars openings—was eventually discarded.

Conan O’Brien also said that the Academy prohibited them from using specific images of the Oscar statuette. For a comedic sketch, he intended to dress the award in an apron and make it a housewife, but the Academy insisted that Oscar must not be dressed. Oscar is never seen without his clothes on.

The Academy responded by saying,

“No clothing on Oscar. Oscar is always naked.”

Academy officials said, rejecting another proposal to have the statuette resting horizontally.

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