Conan O'Brien delivered one of the most viral moments of the 2026 Academy Awards by turning Leonardo DiCaprio into a brand-new internet meme live during the ceremony.
While on stage at the Academy Awards, O'Brien joked about DiCaprio's long history as one of the internet's favorite reaction images.
"The king of memes. He's the king of memes, this guy," O'Brien told the audience. "Let's make a new meme with Leo right now."
The camera then cut to DiCaprio sitting in the crowd, dressed in a tuxedo and reacting with a slightly awkward smile as the audience laughed. The broadcast quickly turned the shot into an instant meme with a caption that read: "That feeling when you didn't agree to this."
The joke played off DiCaprio's reputation as a constant source of internet memes, with his expressions from films like Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood frequently resurfacing across social media.
DiCaprio is up for Best Actor for his role in One Battle After Another, going up against Michael B. Jordan, Timotheé Chalamet, Wagner Moura and Ethan Hawke.
