Conan O'Brien is defending Hollywood and the Oscars, saying the entertainment industry can help bring the country together during a time of "divisive politics."

"If I could change the tone for just one second," O'Brien, the host of the 97th annual Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, told the audience in the opening minutes of a virtually politics-free monologue.

"The people of Los Angeles have clearly been through a devastating ordeal, and this needs to be addressed, and should be addressed in moments such as this," O'Brien, 61, said in remarks following January's wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles region.

"Any award........

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