Staff Reports
Sunday night’s Oscars once again proved what sensible Americans already suspected: Hollywood’s self-congratulatory circus is more interested in political grandstanding than in honoring art. Conan O’Brien used his opening monologue to trade in cheap partisan jabs and even found room for a gag about the Jeffrey Epstein controversy, underscoring that awards season now doubles as a late-night echo chamber.
The host’s quip about Prince Andrew and the broader Epstein scandal landed like a reminder that celebrity status does not equal moral authority. O’Brien’s line about Britain “arresting our pedophiles” while American elites “walk free” drew audible reaction from the crowd and set the tone for a night of sanctimony from those who bankroll the culture wars.
Outside the Dolby Theatre, protesters made their point plain — chanting demands to “turn the files into trials” in clear frustration with the slow grind of justice and the perception that powerful people escape accountability. That anger is not theatrical affectation; it’s the real-world consequence of years of secrecy and delay as the Department of Justice finally released massive troves of Epstein-related material earlier this year.
Let’s be blunt: the DOI’s release on January 30 was a seismic event precisely because it confirmed what conservatives have been saying for years — the system protects the well-connected while victims get lip service. Millions of pages, thousands of images and videos were disclosed amid accusations of ongoing redactions and selective withholding, and yet the elites on stage at the Oscars act surprised and outraged as if they’re on the side of the victims.
Americans should be disgusted by the double standard — a culture that sanctimoniously lectures the country while rubbing elbows with the very figures whose behavior the public is rightly outraged about. If Hollywood truly cared about justice, its stars would use their influence to demand prosecutions and transparency instead of punchlines and virtue-signaling applause lines. No amount of staged humility on the red carpet erases a lifetime of elite protection and moral cowardice.
So the question Benny raises — does anyone even watch the Oscars anymore? — hits home for every hardworking American who’s tired of paying attention to a media class that betrays our values and pretends to lead the conversation on decency. Turn off the empty pageantry, demand real accountability for the victims exposed in the Epstein files, and stop treating celebrity self-righteousness as a substitute for justice.
