With the history making 2025 Oscars in the rearview, the organization behind the show is already prepping for next year.
And they have their host for the 2026 show: Conan O’Brien.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement that O’Brien will be taking the helm of the 98th Oscars.
The Team Behind the Show is also Back
O’Brien will be joined by his producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney. Additionally, executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will return for their third year.
“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,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang wrote on the announcement. “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.”
“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” said O’Brien about his time in the host spot.
The 97th Oscars was a ratings hit with a five year high in total viewers at 19.69 million. It was also the number one primetime entertainment telecast in total viewers and adults for the 2024-2025 television season.
Behind the Scenes of the Process
O’Brien and Sweeny, who is also a long time writer for the host, recently released a special edition of the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend” in order to discuss prepping for the televised event.
In it, the two revealed what they could and could not do for the program. For instance, O’Brien’s team was told by the Academy that the Oscar statue “can never be horizontal” as they were preparing a taped bit involving O’Brien and the statue in a marital dispute. Additionally, they were told not to put any clothing on the statue either.
The host and Sweeny also discussed how the Oscars gig came to be. They were busy shooting the Max streaming show “Conan O’Brien Must Go” when they received news of the chance to take the reins. O’Brien says when he first told Sweeny the news, the writer just laughed.
“We were so busy,” Sweeny recalled. “You got really sick in Spain, along with a few other people, and also just, it just seemed random, out of left [field].”
After O’Brien accepted the offer, tragedy struck home three times over. As the streaming show was shooting in Austria, O’Brien received word that his father passed away. He went home and his mother soon passed too. Then the 2025 Los Angeles Fires rocked southern California.
O’Brien also took his material out to comedy clubs to test it on audiences. During that period, he also did not want to be influenced by other award show hosts testing out their material.
“We can’t even be there when he does his because we don’t want to hear something. Like we can’t be influenced. We want to make sure there’s no overlap,” said O’Brien.
The 98th edition of the Oscars will air on March 15, 2026 on ABC.
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Conan O’Brien Returning To Host 2026 Oscars