The beloved comedian Conan O’Brien has accepted an invitation to host the 97th Oscars telecast, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday morning.
O’Brien, 61, will emcee Hollywood’s biggest night for the first time, when the industry convenes at the Dolby Theatre at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 2, 2025, for a ceremony that will be televised live on ABC in more than 200 territories around the world.
O’Brien has worked in television for decades. In recent years, he transitioned from anchoring a late night talk show to hosting a hit podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and presiding over a podcasting empire under the banner of Team Coco. A former writer on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, he has garnered 31 Emmy nominations, five of which resulted in wins.
“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a statement. “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.”
Added O’Brien: “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
In a video posted to the Academy’s X account, O’Brien was handed an Oscar, which led to the comedian jokingly saying he had won the award, before he was informed by someone off-camera that he was just hosting the awards.
The 96th Oscars — like the 89th, 90th and 95th — was hosted by ABC’s own late night stalwart Jimmy Kimmel, but Kimmel reportedly declined an invitation to return for the 97th. John Mulaney, who hosted the Academy’s 2023 Governors Awards ceremony and once expressed interest in hosting the Oscars, is said to have also passed on the opportunity to emcee the 97th.
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, who served as producers of the 96th Oscars and will return for the 97th, declared, “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.”
Added Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, which oversees ABC, “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.”
Source: Hollywoodreporter
