Late night icon Conan O‘Brien found himself in hot water recently after being caught blatantly staring at singer Nicole Scherzinger‘s breasts during a guest judging stint. While played for laughs, the incident highlights ongoing issues of sexism and objectification that continue to plague Hollywood. As a beloved comedic host viewed as a feminist ally by many, O‘Brien‘s leering misstep merits deeper discussion.
The Incident
In November 2022, Conan O‘Brien appeared alongside Simon Cowell on an episode of the reality talent competition “X Factor UK.” Joining the ranks of celebrity guest judges, O‘Brien‘s giggly demeanor initially charmed viewers and contestants alike. However, during an evaluation of hopeful singer Nicole Scherzinger‘s performance, cameras panned to reveal O‘Brien‘s gaze fixed squarely on Scherzinger‘s chest rather than her face.
Scherzinger immediately called out the behavior, playfully chiding, "My eyes are up here, Conan." Rather than apologizing, O‘Brien doubled down in typical jokester fashion, quipping that he "made a profound connection" with the singer. While the audience and judges laughed along, many viewers found the stare—and nonchalant reaction after being caught—highly inappropriate and indicative of larger issues.
A Long History of Being an Ally…With Some Controversies
Unlike some late night hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel who have one-off backlashes around specific offensive bits, O‘Brien largely enjoys reputation as an outspoken feminist. In the past decade, he has:
- Openly shown support for #MeToo, allowing workers to speak openly about harassment suffered under his show running networks
- Featured learned discussions on toxic masculinity and its impact
- Highlighted Hollywood‘s systemic oppression of female voices
However, O‘Brien has also occasionally sparked debate over writing off sexist jokes as mere absurdity rather than confronting them. In 2016 for example, he prompted criticism for making light of super PACs marketing Clinton sexy photos. Many called this breezy coverage a double standard around conduct he‘d swiftly condemn regarding a female politician.
Such incidents contextualize the Scherzinger stare alongside prior lapses where O‘Brien leaned too heavily on covering blatant misogyny with detached irony and laughter alone. And as a male star frequently branded an ally, many argue he merits even closer scrutiny.
Backlash and Criticism: Enabling Toxic Behavior?
In the wake of the staring incident, O‘Brien faced significant criticism on social media and entertainment sites. Many fans expressed disappointment, arguing that regardless of intent, visibly ogling a colleague on national television normalizes the objectification of women.
Others called out the mocking tone of O‘Brien and the judges, noting that laughing off sexist actions rather than condemning them propagates toxic behavior. Famed philosopher Carol J. Clover of UC Davis for example argued, "When a respected voice excuses leering at women as harmless fun or ‘just a joke,’ it subconsciously informs millions of male viewers such casual sexism is acceptable."
Cultural critics contextualized O‘Brien‘s stare as part of a long tradition of male talk show hosts using female guests as sexualized props or punchlines rather than human beings. Indeed, a 2009 study of late night clips found that 92% of jokes with a gendered component targeted women specifically. Such analysis casts O‘Brien‘s guest judging gaffe not as an isolated incident but rather an embodiment of the boys‘ club atmosphere historically surrounding late night writers rooms.
Per a 2019 Women In Film Study, females comprised just 29% of key behind-the-scenes roles in late night. This homogeneous group of older white men penning monologues yields unsurprisingly skewed on-air content. As USC professor Dr. Liza Black notes, "A diverse writing staff results in richer, less one-note comedy bereft of cheap shots. Conan‘s gaze maybe stemmed from the long-perpetuated notion among male comics that casual sexism simply makes amusing fodder."
Impact on O‘Brien‘s Feminist Reputation
Unlike other late night hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel who have faced backlash for specific sexist sketches rather than one-off incidents, O‘Brien largely enjoyed a reputation as an outspoken feminist advocate. In the past, the comedian openly supported the Me Too movement and decried Hollywood‘s systemic discrimination against women.
However, this context failed to shield O‘Brien from criticism over the Scherzinger incident. Many argued that as a self-proclaimed ally, Conan should be held to an even higher standard regarding sexual harassment and objectification. Famed gender studies professor Dr. Jean Kilborne argues, "Male comedians frequently invoke their ‘good guy’ bona fides as cover for making degrading, humiliating remarks about women played for amusement. Being an ally requires introspection and nuance – not just platitudes."
Others highlighted a perceived double standard around male comedians frequently making light of behaviors that, coming from women or individuals without feminist bona fides, would face swift cancellation. This camp called on O‘Brien to leverage his immense late night platform toward meaningful atonement and re-education rather than breezy jokes.
"There cannot be one standard for progressive men who supposedly ‘know better’ and another for those without that reputation. Accountability must be equal," argues feminist activist Gloria Steinem.
Unequal Standards for Women, Especially Women of Color
Scherzinger herself comes from a background adding further layers to Conan‘s intrusive stare. As a woman of color in the entertainment industry, she‘s no stranger to contending with sexist and racist stereotypes and stigmas. Throughout her career, Scherzinger has opened up about rampant objectification as well grappling with her biracial identity.
"As a Filipino-Hawaiian woman, I‘ve had to overcome so many microaggressions," Scherzinger shared in 2021. "Being hypersexualized or not seen as woman enough. The foreign exotic girl trope. Dealing with that takes so much emotional labor. What Conan did just triggers all those feelings of never belonging."
Scherzinger joins a league of prominent WOC artists and actors such as Halle Berry, Jenifer Lewis, Lucy Liu and others who have called out the steep double standards still facing non-white women in Hollywood. While the staring incident itself proves relatively trivial on surface level, the context around Scherzinger‘s identity illuminates why such casual infractions yield amplified harm.
"He doesn‘t have to live with the everyday barrage microaggressions and fights against stereotypes," Scherzinger noted. "Conan can laugh it off while I‘m stuck dealing with the emotional burden."
O‘Brien‘s Apology: Strong First Step or Empty Platitude?
Amidst swelling backlash, O‘Brien ultimately issued a formal apology on Twitter, writing: "I sincerely apologize to Nicole Scherzinger for staring at her breasts during our judging session. I understand my behavior was unacceptable and offensive, and I strive to be an ally, advocate and role model for women. I let my base instincts get the better of me, and intend to do better in ensuring all women feel respected on my sets going forward."
Many bloggers argued that while the unconditionally remorseful tone bodes well, true progress requires moving beyond basic apologies. "If Conan leverages his immense platform solely for one-off mea culpas without meaningfully confronting why he felt such improper impulses in the first place, can permanent change actually occur?" questions feminist writer Natasha Graycox.
"Tweets are a good start. But late night‘s sexist infrastructure won‘t crumble without pulling up the whole rotting foundation first. And that requires unpacking your own biases, giving women more seats at the writers room table, and utilizing comedy to educate rather than demean,” Graycox continued.
Scherzinger responded positively to the overture, telling press, "I appreciate Conan apologizing…We all make mistakes." However, she also noted feeling disappointed that female artists continue facing frequent objectification, even from men claiming allyship.
"Of course Conan didn‘t mean harm, but not meaning harm doesn‘t always equate to not causing it,” Scherzinger noted. “Especially when you have such insane influence over millions. I just hope he evolves in how he confronts gender issues moving forward. And gives us gals more agency rather than talking over us."
Concrete Solutions: Elevating Female Voices & Combating Harassment
While O‘Brien‘s apology marks a strong first step, sustained effort toward actual reform remains vital. Critics argue the host should leverage his immense platform not just to make one-off amends, but to tangibly improve late night‘s culture around women, both on and off-screen.
“Conan must enact thorough structural analyses around why staring occurs in the first place among not just himself, but society as a whole,” argues gender justice advocate Lyz Lenz. “And that requires tangibly ceding space to female creatives to diagnose where bias takes root."
Potential impactful actions include:
- Consistently featuring more female writers, producers and directors on staff and inviting a diverse range of respected female thought leaders as guests rather than primarily actresses and pop stars.
"The late night sphere won‘t shed its boy‘s club reputation without fundamental changes ensuring prominent feminine voices in every process, from conceiving comedy to executing it on-screen," argues comedian Franchesca Ramsey.
- Emulating John Oliver‘s recent in-depth exploration of workplace sexual harassment could likewise prove an insightful reverse education for male viewers accustomed to trivializing misconduct played for laughs.
"When a respected male face like Conan unpacks #MeToo issues with nuance rather than bunk past it with a punchline, that makes space for genuine reflection shifting attitudes," sociology professor Dr. Michael Stambolis argues.
- On a broader scale, hosts like O‘Brien using incidents like the staring flap as teachable moments to educate audiences on nuanced issues like unconscious bias, microaggressions and intersectionality could encourage meaningful societal progress.
”Late night monologues thrive on irony and absurdity. But the immense sway hosts like Conan hold could powerfully combat oppression when focused right,” claims scholar Rebecca Traister. ”With great fame comes great responsibility."
The Counterpoint: Has “Cancel Culture” Gone Too Far?
Despite swelling criticism, some fringe views questioned whether the severity of backlash leveled at O‘Brien proves excessive. Conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat for examples argued, “The pop culture world loves very public, groveling mea culpas for perceived thought crimes. But this incentivizes a race to the bottom until only the most humorless scolds remain. Is that the entertainment landscape we want?"
Fellow cultural critic Wesley Yang echoed Douthat‘s sentiment, penning an editorial critiquing "The Humorless Left‘s Cancelation of Conan" that widely circulated in right-wing spheres. Yang called scrutiny around the stare “peak woke madness,” arguing O‘Brien’s spotless feminist record merits mulligans for minor problematic blunders.
"One clumsy moment of ogling does not negate two decades using comedy to skewer patriarchal absurdities. If progress requires perfection, we‘re doomed. People grow," Yang continues. "The impulse to instantly vilify transitional figures rather than educate stunts progress."
However prominent feminist theorists contest Yang and Douthat‘s colony cancellation narratives as red herrings. "Accountability doesn‘t equate to cancellation," scholar Loretta Ross counters. "Asking influential men to confront bias and make space for marginalized groups is baseline progress. This reactionary victim framing proves precisely why the introspective work remains urgent."
The Verdict: Use Immense Sway for Good
While an uphill battle remains, the popularity and immense cultural sway of male late night figures positions them well to move the needle if leveraged properly.
"Through woman-centered hiring, nuanced empathetic discussion, and amplifying marginalized voices, Conan and late night writ large can shed their historical white male lens," argues comedian Hanna Gadsby.
Gadsby and other critics contend O’Brien in particular boasts immense capacity for meaningful impact, given his towering status. But realizing it requires embracing discomfort and vulnerably questioning assumptions.
”Conan‘s stare struck such a chord precisely because his witty charisma obscures the immense power these chatty men wield,” says Gadsby. ”With great influence comes great responsibility. The work toward progress might not pack easy punchlines, but could prove his defining legacy."
Time will tell whether O’Brien seizes the staring scandal as sufficient prompt for tangible lasting reform. But the intense reaction spotlights both increasing intolerance for sexist infractions – and late night’s continued need to lead gender equity conversations rather than find itself mired as subjects.