EXCLUSIVE: ABC OSCARS EXPLODES — CONAN O’BRIEN COULD WALK AWAY FROM HOSTING GIG
PLUS: BEN AFFLECK JEALOUS OF DAMON & KIMMEL BROMANCE — BRITNEY SPEARS’ SON DRAMA FLARES UP AGAIN
EXCLUSIVE: CONAN O’BRIEN THREATENS TO QUIT OSCARS
The Oscars are staring down their biggest crisis in decades — and Conan O’Brien might be the one to pull the plug.
Sources tell #ShuterScoop that the late-night legend is seriously considering walking away from hosting the Academy Awards in March if ABC doesn’t resolve Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension scandal.
“Conan could walk — it’s that bad,” one top industry insider reveals. “He doesn’t want to look like he’s cashing in on Jimmy’s punishment. If Kimmel’s still off the air, the optics are toxic.”
For Conan, this was meant to be his triumphant Hollywood comeback. Instead, insiders say he feels like he’s walking into a political grenade. “Every headline will be about Jimmy, not Conan,” sighs one source.
Kimmel, a four-time Oscars host, was yanked off-air indefinitely after comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder exploded into controversy. The fallout has rocked ABC — and now threatens the entire ceremony.
“Conan respects Jimmy. They’re not rivals — there’s genuine admiration,” another Hollywood source stresses. “If ABC can’t clean this up before March, Conan may just pull the plug.”
Behind the scenes, panic is spreading. “The Academy wanted laughs, not headlines,” says an insider. “But if Conan walks, it could be the biggest Oscars disaster ever.”
EXCLUSIVE: BEN AFFLECK THREATENED BY MATT DAMON AND JIMMY KIMMEL’S BROMANCE
Once Hollywood’s golden duo, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were inseparable. Childhood friends, Oscar winners, producing partners — their bond was unshakable. Until now.
Insiders whisper the dynamic has quietly shifted, with Matt cozying up to former late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. “They’re inseparable,” one Hollywood insider dishes. “They vacation together, the families hang out, they talk constantly. It’s a bromance beyond the bit.”
That new closeness hasn’t gone unnoticed by Affleck. “He acts like he’s fine with it, but deep down it hurts,” a pal admits. “For years it was Ben and Matt against the world. Now it feels like Ben’s been replaced.”
While Damon and Kimmel’s banter is light and easy, Affleck’s darker, brooding energy doesn’t always fit. “Jimmy makes Matt laugh in a way Ben can’t,” says one insider.
One veteran put it bluntly: “Ben can’t hold onto wives or friends. He blames everyone else, but he comes across needy. Meanwhile, Matt’s found his new best friend — and it isn’t Ben.”
EXCLUSIVE: BRITNEY SPEARS’ BROKEN BOND WITH HER SONS — “FRAGILE ALL OVER AGAIN”
Britney Spears’ heartache isn’t over. Insiders say her relationship with her teenage sons has cracked once more — leaving the pop icon “fragile all over again.”
The 43-year-old superstar recently admitted she endured three painful years with “no calls, no texts” from Sean Preston, 19, and Jayden James, 18. “It was like my heart stopped beating,” Britney confided, calling it the darkest period of her life.
Though she’s tried to rebuild, posting tributes and reaching out, trust remains shaky. “There have been calls and some steps forward,” one insider tells #ShuterScoop. “But her boys are still cautious.”
Jayden, in particular, has spoken about feeling abandoned during the conservatorship. Britney now admits her brief marriage to Sam Asghari was just a “fake distraction” from losing them.
“She’s desperate to be part of their lives,” another source sighs. “But every step forward feels like two steps back. The bond is broken, and healing it won’t be easy.”
#ShuterScoop