Even though Conan O’Brien is the one who made the joke about the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef during the 2025 Oscars, the person who wrote the joke seems to be getting the most heat for it.
Satisfied with how the crowd responded to O’Brien’s delivery of the one-liner, Skyler Higley, a writer for the TV host, said on X, “wrote the Kendrick Lamar joke and bet our executive producer $50 that it would kill. just made $50.”
He also added, “thank you to the academy and S&P for folding and not cutting this joke.”
Higley was referring to the moment during the 97th Academy Awards when O’Brien said, “Well, we’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile.”
He also referenced the Toronto rapper’s lawsuit against UMG over the release of “Not Like Us,” saying, “Don’t worry, I’m lawyered up.”
While the writer thought he killed it, but did he? Conan’s joke led to some disappointed responses, with some saying the joke wasn’t even funny and others saying that it was in poor taste since no one has come forward to allege Drake did anything wrong.
Media personality Van Lathan said in response to the joke, “This is wack.”
@YSLONIKA on X posted, “you don’t even have to like drake to admit this was so cringe and unfunny…”
@my_luck3 wrote, “Drake has now been called a pdfile on an Amazon platformed concert, at the Grammys, at the Super Bowl, & at the Oscar’s. With no victims coming forward & no accusations.
@snappingturtll added, “Kendrick created an environment where white people have the audacity to question Drake’s blackness and the gall to call him a pedophile amongst circles of pedophiles. That lawsuit can’t come quick enough.”
Despite the number of people who felt the joke was in poor taste, Higley wasn’t too down about it, writing on Monday morning, “Good morning to Drake fans and also to people who like good music.”
Although we haven’t gotten a reaction from Drake, it’s something he’ll likely respond to soon. Whether that be through a verse in a song or through his legal team.
Just recently, Michael J. Gottlieb, the 6-God’s attorney, cited Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us” during the Super Bowl Halftime show in a letter to a Texas judge, saying, “UMG launched new campaigns to further spread the defamatory content, including at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, which had over 133.5 million viewers.”