Preview:
- Host Conan O’Brien will return for next year’s Oscars ceremony.
- O’Brien has experience with shows such as the Emmys, ‘The Simpsons’ and his own late night output.
- The 2026 ceremony will be held on March 15th next year.
Well, that didn’t take long.
Clearly looking to avoid the protracted search and endless speculation about who would host the 2025 Oscars, the heads of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have moved quickly to confirm that this year’s host, comedian and talk show veteran Conan O’Brien, has already been confirmed to return for 2026.
Yes, forget making any guesses as to whether Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman or any number of other big names (longtime Oscar host Billy Crystal accepting a giant payday to come back for one more ceremony?), this time the Academy wanted to make it clear: Conan is the man. Again.
It follows the well-received ceremony of earlier this month, which saw ‘Anora’ score five Oscars (including a record four in one night for one person on one movie for writer/director/producer/editor Sean Baker) and a running time that, while it was overlong, still managed to be entertaining.
mF6ytgKq5I0FWjBWzwNvH2You can find our recap here.
A lot of that credit goes to O’Brien, the writing team assembled to work with him and the producing side of things, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Emmy-winning producing team Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are also returning to lead the show for the third consecutive year.
And on a pure ratings level it was also a success, as the ceremony, held on March 2nd, delivered the highest viewership numbers in five years. The broadcast drew 19.69 million viewers and had a dominant presence on social media, racking up 104.2 million interactions, surpassing both the Grammys and the Super Bowl in online engagement.
Related Article: Oscars 2025: ‘Anora’ Wins and Conan Works in Solid Academy Ceremony
Conan O’Brien: The Basics
If this year’s Oscars wasn’t enough of an introduction to wider audiences as to O’Brien’s style, here’s a quick briefing…
Conan began his late-night hosting career in 1993, taking over for David Letterman on NBC’s ‘Late Night.’ After an ill-fated, year-long tenure at ‘The Tonight Show’ after replacing Jay Leno in 2009, O’Brien later moved to TBS for ‘Conan,’ which he hosted from 2011 to 2021.
In recent years, he transitioned from anchoring a late night talk show to hosting a hit podcast, ‘Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,’ and presiding over a podcasting empire under the banner of Team Coco.
A former writer on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘The Simpsons,’ he has garnered 31 Emmy nominations, five of which resulted in wins.
In terms of awards shows, O’Brien has also hosted the Emmy Awards a couple of times, and also served as emcee of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 1995 and 2013. He was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010, and is the 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Conan O’Brien as Oscars host: Conan, the Academy and the TV Bosses Speak
O’Brien was typically quippy about his return engagement:
“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”
It’s a reference to ‘The Brutalist’ Best Actor winner Adrien Brody, whose speech, which ran to around five minutes and 40 seconds, has ranked as the longest in Academy history.
Kramer and Yang were more straightforward in their own press release:
“We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscars! 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. Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence. It is an honor to be working with them again.”
Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich had this to say:
“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.”
Finally, this was the comment from Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan:
“We are both so honored to be returning in our roles for the 98th Oscars. We can’t wait to work with Conan and his entire team as we continue to explore even more special and heartfelt opportunities to celebrate next year’s nominees and the impact of film around the world.”
When will the 98th Oscars be on TV?
The 98th Academy Awards, held once again at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, are set to air live on ABC on March 15th next year, starting at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
List of Conan O’Brien Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Saturday Night Live‘ (1975 – 2024)
- ‘The Simpsons‘ (1989 – 2024)
- ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien‘ (1993 – 2009)
- ‘Late Night with Conan OBrien The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog‘ (2004)
- ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien‘ (2009 – 2010)
- ‘Conan‘ (2010 – 2021)
- ‘Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop‘ (2011)
- ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2‘ (2013)
- ‘The Lego Batman Movie‘ (2017)
- ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines‘ (2021)
- ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story‘ (2022)
- ‘Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain‘ (2023)
- ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go‘ (2024)
Good ratings and buzz are to be had by comedians making fun of President Donald Trump — exhibit A: “Saturday Night Live.” But