Leonardo DiCaprio knows how to make a good meme. But those of us who are chronically online already knew that, of course.
At the 2026 Oscars, DiCaprio made a meme live on the spot when he was called out by the show's host, Conan O'Brien, in the first few minutes of the show.
During O'Brien's opening monologue, he referenced all the great memes that have been clipped from DiCaprio's movies, like The Great Gatsby and Django Unchained.
"He's the star of so many movies and the king of memes. He's the king of memes, this guy," O'Brien said while talking to a seated DiCaprio in the crowd.
O'Brien then asked DiCaprio if he could "make a new meme" right now. He asked the One Battle After Another star to show what that feeling looks like when "you didn't agree to this."
DiCaprio, who was sporting a black and white suit, then turned to the camera and gave an awkward smile.
Fans appreciated the meme moment
His reaction was met with many laughs, including those from viewers at home.
"Do you have any idea how mad I am that he [expletive] nailed it? This violates all laws of memeology.. Memetaphysics," one person said about the moment on X.
Another shared the loudly crying face emoji and said, "Bro, that energy is peak meme crisis."
Another added, "Honestly, the way he broke the fourth wall while doing it makes it even more illegal."
Someone else called DiCaprio a "meme legend," while another said he was "legendary" for doing that right on the spot.
DiCaprio's Oscar moment comes after he went viral at the 2026 Golden Globes for creating a "hundred memes in 30 seconds."
During a commercial break, the Wolf of Wall Street actor was seen making a lot of facial expressions when he talked to someone nearby. During the interaction, which was captured without audio, DiCaprio smiled and mouthed words while making multiple hand gestures.
The moment was shared on TikTok. In the comments, a fan joked that DiCaprio "created (a) hundred memes in 30sec" in that video.
"Dude just showed his acting range while sitting on the table at the Globes 😂," another said.
A third added, "For me, Leonardo DiCaprio is the greatest actor."
At the 2026 Oscars, DiCaprio lost in his category for best actor in a leading role to "Sinners" star Michael B. Jordan. Jordan, who won his first Academy Award that night, later gave DiCaprio a big hug after his acceptance speech.
The moment was caught on camera and shared on X.
"Seeing actors respect each other like this is always cool," someone said.
Another wrote, "A powerful moment, respect from legends makes the win even more meaningful."
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