Conan O’Brien Will Return as Oscars Host in 2026

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Conan O’Brien is making a comeback to the Oscars in 2026. On March 15, Conan, a famous late-night host and comedian, will be hosting the 98th Academy Awards, as announced by the academy’s management on Monday.

I’m going to be the host of the Oscars next year, primarily because I’m eager to listen to Adrien Brody complete his speech,” O’Brien stated.

This year was O’Brien’s first time leading the show, which attracted its biggest broadcast audience in five years despite the winning movie, “Anora,” being relatively small. An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched the 97th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month, according to broadcaster ABC, with a big lift among people aged 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers. It was also the most watched prime-time entertainment show of 2025.

“Conan’s unique comedic style perfectly captured the moment, and I’m excited to have his talents back onstage next year to helm another indelible performance,” said Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, in a statement.

Next year O’Brien will also be surrounded by a familiar team, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning as executive producers of the show and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney as producers. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement that it’s an honor to be working again with the group behind this year’s broadcast.

“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. “Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.”

The program also excelled in social media engagement, surpassing both the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl based on data provided by the Oscars team. This marks the first time that the event was broadcast live concurrently on Hulu, although it did encounter some technical issues during the stream.

The decision about next year’s Oscar hosting and production team will be made much sooner than usual by the Film Academy and ABC, only a month after this year’s Oscars ceremony.

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2025-03-17 17:21