Seemingly out of nowhere, Conan O’Brien is hosting the 97th Academy Awards. The announcement was made by ABC and The Academy early this morning, on a Friday, no less, with a subdued amount of fanfare. This will be O’Brien’s first time emceeing the Oscars.
The Breakdown: Sign up for Gregory Ellwood’s new newsletter column and get Oscar Predictions before they are posted online. You don’t want to miss this.
In a statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang remarked, “We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year. He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies, and his live TV expertise. His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best–honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.”
O’Brien simply said, “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
Craig Erwich, President, Disney Television Group added, “Conan is a preeminent comedic voice, whose decades-long success is marked by his distinctive humor and perspective. He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have served in this role, and we are so lucky to have him center stage for the Oscars.”Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan had the last word noting, “Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host–he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television. We are so looking forward to working with him to deliver a fresh, exciting and celebratory show for Hollywood’s biggest night.”
The longtime host of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” and “Conan,” O’Brien can currently be seen on the MAX series “Conan O’Brien Must Go.” He also has a popular podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend,” which has been relesing episodes since 2018 through his Team Coco production banner. An “SNL” and “The Simpsons” writing staff veteran, O’Brien hosted the 54th and 58th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006, respectively. He also was the emcee of the 1995 and 2013 White House Correspondents Dinner. O’Brien is a five-time Emmy Award winner and earned a staggering 31 nominations over his career. To say he understands the television medium is an understatement.
Following Jimmy Kimmel’s decision to bow out after hosting two straight ceremonies, O’Brien’s selection is a massive surprise. There were rumors The Academy and ABC were hoping “Deadpool and Wolverine” stars Hugh Jackman, who hosted in 2009, and Ryan Reynolds would take the hosting reins. Last week, Reynolds publicly commented on the possibility saying he’d consider it in the future, but not this year.

It’s unclear how well-known O’Brien is to any potential viewer under the age of 40 (his peak era to host would have been in the mid ’00s), but this is something of an impressive comeback. His dismissal from hosting “The Tonight Show,” his dream gig, was something of a public relations nightmare for NBC at the time. He was then relegated to basic cable (TBS) when he returned with “Conan” and his cultural relevance wained. He does have a significant fanbase, however, having toured the nation numerous times. He also now can say he hosted the preeminent awards ceremony alongside his peers Kimmel, Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, and Seth MacFarlane.
The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025 and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.