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Conan O’Brien to return as host of 2026 Oscars on ABC

BBG News

It was announced on Monday that Conan O’Brien will be hosting the Academy Awards ceremony in 2026, following his successful stint as host earlier this month. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC have confirmed this news.

I’ll be hosting ‘The Oscars’ next year because I can’t wait to hear Adrien Brody complete his speech,” expressed O’Brien in a statement.

The academy typically unveils its show emcee in late fall. By announcing O’Brien’s return to host the 98th Academy Awards nearly a year in advance, the academy and Walt Disney Co.’s ABC broadcast network are sending a vote of confidence for the quirky comedian.

O’Brien’s humor during this year’s show was well received, and compared with many comics, he’s not a political lightning rod. The 97th Academy Award telecast also saw a slight audience bump despite the lack of blockbuster box-office hits among the front-runner movies.

The 2025 show on ABC and Hulu garnered approximately 19.9 million viewers, marking a rise of around 200,000 viewers compared to the 2024 edition.

That marked the Oscar’s best performance in five years. The show also boasted a large audience among viewers aged 18 to 49, the preferred demographic of advertisers.

Hollywood Inc.

Streaming the 97th Academy Awards on Hulu probably attracted a larger number of young viewers to the broadcast.

In a statement announcing his return, Bill Kramer, the academy’s CEO, and Janet Yang, the academy’s president, praised Conan as an outstanding host who expertly led us through the evening with wit, kindness, and respect.

The program ran long — 3 hours and 45 minutes — despite O’Brien’s cheeky assurances early in the show that he would not waste time. Brody, who won lead actor for “The Brutalist,” gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history, clocking in at 5 minutes and 36 seconds. By that time, the show was already running long.

Television producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will also return as executive producers for a third straight year. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will be back for a second time. Sweeney will also serve as a writer.

“This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way,” Kramer and Yang said of the team, including O’Brien.

The Emmy-winning host is a television variety show veteran, hosting the late-night talk shows “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.” Previously, he served as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.” He currently hosts the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast.

Awards

Sean Baker and “Anora” made Oscars history; Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody won top acting prizes. Catch up on the winners, the fashion and what happened at the show.

The Oscars will air on ABC on March 15 at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

The two sides did not say whether Hulu would again stream the Oscars.

During its first try, the streaming service owned by Disney encountered technical issues, causing many Hulu subscribers to miss crucial parts of the show due to these problems.

ABC has televised the awards show for nearly a half-century, and is entering the final phase of its deal to broadcast the Oscars. The current contract, which was struck in 2016, allows ABC to televise the Oscars through 2028 — the year of the show’s 100th anniversary.

Awards

Sean Baker and “Anora” made Oscars history; Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody won top acting prizes. Catch up on the winners, the fashion and what happened at the show.

It’s unclear whether the academy and Disney will renew the pact to keep the Oscars on ABC.

The academy relies heavily on revenue from Disney. In 2023, the academy reported total revenue of nearly $158 million, according to tax filings. More than 90% of that came from its television contracts for the Oscars.

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2025-03-17 16:28

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