Conan O'Brien has been confirmed as the host of the 97th Oscars, which are to take place next March. Photo / Getty Images
Conan O'Brien has been confirmed as the host of the 97th Oscars, which are to take place next March. Photo / Getty Images
The 97th Oscars, set to take place in March, will mark Conan O’Brien’s first time hosting the show.
Conan O’Brien will host next year’s Oscars ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Friday, giving the long-time writer, comedian and former late-night showhost his first chance to anchor Hollywood’s biggest night.
“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” O’Brien quipped in the news release announcing his gig. “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
The 61-year-old comic will replace fellow television host Jimmy Kimmel, who emceed the last two Oscars ceremonies and hosted a total of four times. Kimmel said on the Politickin’ podcast in August he turned down the offer to host next year because it was difficult to balance preparing for the awards show and working on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Stand-up comedian John Mulaney also declined the job, according to the media outlet Puck.
As O’Brien readies himself to join what Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich called “an iconic roster of comedy greats” – including former Oscars hosts Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg – the show’s executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan said they were looking forward to seeing O’Brien in the role because he’s “incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television”.
O’Brien is no stranger to the awards show experience. He has hosted the Emmy Awards twice and has picked up five Emmy wins and 31 nominations throughout his career. He has also emceed the MTV Movie Awards and headlined the White House Correspondents’ Dinner twice.
He wrote for several shows including Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons before he spent nearly three decades as a late-night talk show host, helming NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1993 to 2009 and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien from 2009 to 2010, as well as Conan from 2010 to 2021, broadcast on TBS.
His late-night show tenure has ended, but he’s still in the hosting sphere with his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, which he launched in 2018. He also stars in the Max travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go, which premiered in April after his fiery appearance on the popular YouTube show Hot Ones.
