Conan O'Brien will return to host Oscars 2026

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 9:09 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Conan O'Brien is returning to the Oscars signifier successful 2026. The late-night big and comedian volition preside implicit the 98th Academy Awards, acceptable for March 15, the movie academy's enactment said Monday.

"The lone crushed I'm hosting the Oscars adjacent twelvemonth is that I privation to perceive Adrien Brody decorativeness his speech," O'Brien said successful a statement.

This twelvemonth was O'Brien's archetypal clip starring the show, which attracted its biggest broadcast assemblage successful 5 years contempt the winning movie, Anora, being comparatively small.

An estimated 19.7 cardinal viewers watched the 97th Academy Awards ceremonial earlier this month, according to broadcaster ABC, with a large assistance among radical aged 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers.

It was besides the astir watched prime-time amusement entertainment of 2025.

"Conan's unsocial comedic benignant perfectly captured the moment, and I'm excited to person his talents backmost onstage adjacent twelvemonth to helm different indelible performance," said Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, successful a statement.

Next year, O'Brien volition besides beryllium surrounded by a acquainted team, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning arsenic enforcement producers of the amusement and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney arsenic producers. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said successful a associated connection that it's an honour to beryllium moving again with the radical down this year's broadcast.

"This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning amusement that celebrated our nominees and the planetary movie assemblage successful the astir beauteous and impactful way," Kramer and Yang said.

"Conan was the cleanable big — skillfully guiding america done the evening with humour, warmth and reverence."

WATCH | Missed the Oscars? Here's a breakdown: 

The amusement besides succeeded successful societal media metrics, outperforming some the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, according to Oscars organizers. This was the archetypal clip that the amusement was streamed unrecorded simultaneously connected Hulu, which was not without its glitches. 

The timing of the announcement of adjacent year's hosting and producing teams — little than a period aft this year's Oscars — is unusually aboriginal for the movie academy and ABC.