Conan O’Brien will be back to host the Oscars next year, having delivered an all-time debut as MC earlier this month.
Keep cool, my babies, because Conan O’Brien will be back to host the 98th Academy Awards after a wildly successful first stint this year. This Oscars news isn’t all that surprising considering how well Conan was received by both viewers and those inside of the Dolby Theatre, but it’s still exciting and came much earlier than we were expecting.
In a statement, Conan O’Brien said, “The only reason I’m hosting The Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” referring to Brody’s record-setting, 5-minute and 36-second acceptance speech for Best Actor.
While Wicked would no doubt be the film that helped pull in the most viewers, having Conan as host was the perfect move in that department as well. The 97th Academy Awards hit upwards of 19.69 million viewers, an increase over last year’s show, which saw Oppenheimer taking home seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Christopher Nolan.
In their own statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang expressed their excitement over Conan returning. He will be joined by show producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, as well as some of Conan’s team, Jeff Ross and Mikey Sweeney. “We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscars. 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. 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.”
Conan has a lot to live up to next year. And now that he has the full faith of key AMPAS figures behind him, he might be able to get away with even more than he did this year. As I’ve said before, AMPAS should have Conan back in 2027 as well, setting up Billy Crystal to host the 100th Academy Awards in 2028.
How do you feel about Conan O’Brien returning as host? Should he go for the threepeat for the 99th Academy Awards?
