Kendrick Lamar & Drake Beef Turned Into Oscars Joke By Conan O'Brien: 'I'm Lawyered Up'

As if Kendrick Lamar and Drake‘s beef hasn’t already dominated pop culture, the high-profile feud has now fueled some of the comedy fodder at the Oscars.

While hosting the Academy Awards on Sunday night (March 2), Conan O’Brien made reference to Kendrick’s controversial claims about his fierce rival on his hit diss song “Not Like Us,” as well as his recent Super Bowl halftime show.

“Well, we’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile,” he joked, prompting laughter from the star-studded audience inside Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre.

The comedian then poked fun at Drizzy’s defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over “Not Like Us,” saying: “Don’t worry, I’m lawyered up.”

The writer behind the joke, Skyler Higley, later commented on the moment on social media.

“Wrote the Kendrick Lamar joke and bet our executive producer $50 that it would kill. just made $50,” he said. “Thank you to the academy and S&P for folding and not cutting this joke.”

Neither Kendrick nor Drake have yet commented on the viral joke.

omg this Oscars joke from Conan O’Brien

“Well, we’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile” pic.twitter.com/d7gzCFHfsF

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 3, 2025

wrote the Kendrick Lamar joke and bet our executive producer $50 that it would kill. just made $50.

— Skyler Higley (@skyler_higley) March 3, 2025

Drake’s beef with Kendrick Lamar, which has reached the legal arena, took a twist recently as the Canadian rapper reached a resolution with iHeartMedia, who he had accused of being paid by UMG to play “Not Like Us” on their many radio stations across the country.

Drizzy’s lawyers also referenced Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance in a letter filed to Judge Antonio Vargas in his ongoing defamation case against UMG.

His legal team argued against delaying discovery, citing Kendrick’s record-breaking halftime show, during which he performed “Not Like Us,” as an example of the harm that comes with waiting.

“[D]elaying discovery would unfairly prejudice [Drake], who is continuing to suffer the consequences of UMG’s defamatory campaign,” the letter read.

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“Indeed, at the same time UMG has been delaying here, UMG launched new campaigns to further spread the defamatory content [‘Not Like Us’], including at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, which had over 133.5 million viewers.”

Kendrick Lamar, who is not being sued himself, made a sly reference to Drake’s lawsuit during his historic Super Bowl performance.

While teasing a rendition of “Not Like Us,” Lamar joked in a back and forth with dancers: “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”