Conan O’Brien is returning to the Oscars stage in 2026. The late-night host and comic will preside over the 98th Academy Awards, set for March 15, the movie academy’s management mentioned on Monday.
“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” O’Brien mentioned in an announcement.
This 12 months was O’Brien’s first time main the present, which attracted its largest broadcast viewers in 5 years regardless of the successful film, Anora, being comparatively small.
An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched the 97th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month, based on broadcaster ABC, with an enormous raise amongst folks aged 18 to 49, pushed by cellular and laptop computer watches from youthful viewers. It was additionally the most-watched prime-time leisure present 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,” mentioned Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, in an announcement.
Next 12 months O’Brien will even be surrounded by a well-known group, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning as government producers of the present and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney as producers. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang mentioned in a joint assertion that it is an honour to be working once more with the group behind this 12 months’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 mentioned. “Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humour, warmth and reverence.”
The present additionally succeeded in social media metrics, outperforming each the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, based on Oscars organisers. This was the primary time that the present was streamed dwell concurrently on Hulu, which was not with out its glitches.
The timing of the announcement of subsequent 12 months’s internet hosting and producing groups — lower than a month after this 12 months’s Oscars — is unusually early for the Film Academy and ABC.
Published – March 17, 2025 06:51 pm IST
