Conan O’Brien Reveals Whether He Will Host 2026 Oscars

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Conan O’Brien to Host 2026 Oscars Following Acclaimed 2025 Performance
By Deirdre Durkan-Simonds for DailyMail.com | Updated: 14:13 GMT, 17 March 2025

Conan O’Brien will return as host of the 2026 Oscars after earning widespread praise for his sharp wit and seamless execution at the 2025 ceremony. The announcement, made Monday, confirms the 61-year-old comedian will helm the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, broadcast on ABC.

Conan O’Brien at the 2025 Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)

O’Brien humorously referenced Adrien Brody’s notoriously long 2003 Best Actor acceptance speech in a press release: “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.” Brody’s five-minute, 36-second monologue remains infamous, far exceeding the Academy’s 45-second guideline.

Familiar Faces Behind the Scenes
Executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will return for their third consecutive year, alongside producer-writer duo Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang praised the team: “Conan was the perfect host—skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth, and reverence. It’s an honor to work with them again.”

Ratings Success
The 2025 Oscars, O’Brien’s hosting debut, drew 19.69 million viewers—a five-year high—with a 4.54 rating among adults 18-49. Disney’s Rob Mills, EVP of unscripted content, lauded O’Brien’s performance: “He absolutely nailed it… like Conan’s greatest hits: silliness, self-deprecation, and jokes that get funnier over time.” Mills hinted at an open invitation for O’Brien’s return, calling it a “joy and privilege.”

The 2025 Oscars stage (Photo: Reuters)

Memorable Moments
O’Brien’s 2025 monologue blended irreverence and charm, including a jab at Emilia Perez star Karla Sofia Gascon’s past controversial tweets: “Anora uses the f-word 479 times. That’s more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist… YOU TWEETED WHAT!” He quipped, “If you’re going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”

The Academy’s swift rehiring of O’Brien underscores their confidence in his ability to balance humor and Hollywood prestige. With viewership rebounding, the 2026 ceremony aims to build on this momentum, promising another night of laughter and celebration.

Conan delivers his opening monologue (Photo: ABC)

Final Word
Fans and critics alike await O’Brien’s return, eager to see how he’ll top his 2025 triumph. As Mills noted: “It was the methadone I needed after not working with Jimmy Kimmel.”

Stay tuned for more updates on Hollywood’s biggest night!