Conan O'Brien to return as Academy Awards host in 2026
What's the story
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Conan O'Brien will return as the host for the 98th Academy Awards in 2026.
O'Brien, who hosted the 97th Oscars earlier this month, humorously stated, "The only reason I'm hosting 'The Oscars' next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech," referring to this year's Best Actor winner and his long speech.
Debut success
O'Brien's debut as Oscars host drew record viewership
O'Brien's first Oscars hosting gig drew in more than 19 million viewers (7% drop from 2024), making it the leading prime-time entertainment telecast for the 2024-2025 season.
The 97th Oscars ceremony, held on March 2, was O'Brien's first Academy Awards hosting gig.
Earlier, he had spoken about his excitement about hosting Hollywood's biggest night, saying, "I have an amazing team of writers. We have been going through tons of ideas, and I'm excited because I grew up watching the Oscars."
Team reunion
O'Brien to reunite with Emmy-winning production team
For the 98th Oscars, O'Brien will be joined by executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, returning for the third year in a row. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will also join the team.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang, expressed excitement over O'Brien's return, saying, "Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth, and reverence. It is an honor to be working with (the team) again."
Twitter Post
Twitter Post
Forget the pot of gold—this St. Patrick’s Day, we’re giving you something even better. @ConanOBrien is officially returning to host the 98th Oscars! pic.twitter.com/Z2zOKbGO5Q
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 17, 2025
Broadcast details
Oscars 2026 will air live from Dolby Theatre
The 98th Academy Awards will air live on March 15, 2026, at 7:00pm ET and 4:30am IST on ABC. The ceremony will return to the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Before hosting the Oscars, O'Brien rose to fame with late-night talk shows Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and Conan. He also served as a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons.
O'Brien's ventures
O'Brien's current projects and 2026 Oscar contenders
Along with hosting the Oscars, O'Brien also hosts the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and an HBO/Max travel series called Conan O'Brien Must Go. He will also appear in the upcoming feature film If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
The 98th Academy Awards will feature several films vying for the coveted Oscar statuettes, including Jon M. Chu's musical sequel Wicked: For Good and Chloe Zhao's adaptation of Hamnet.