Fifteen years after being unceremoniously replaced as host of The Tonight Show after a brief, seven-month run, Conan O’Brien has been selected to host the 2025 Oscars. It will be O’Brien’s first time hosting the broadcast. He’ll become the second host of The Tonight Show to do the honors on the Oscars, following Johnny Carson, who hosted the Oscars five times between 1979-84.
The Academy Awards will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on March 2 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” said a wisecracking O’Brien in a statement.
“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,” said Oscars executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan. “We are so looking forward to working with him to deliver a fresh, exciting and celebratory show for Hollywood’s biggest night.”
“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint 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.”
O’Brien, 61, follows Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, who hosted the Oscars the last two years (and also in 2017-18).
O’Brien is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows Late Night with Conan O’Brien and TBS’ Conan. Before his more than two-decade hosting career, he served as a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. O’Brien currently hosts the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” and recently starred in the 2024 travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go. He has won five Primetime Emmys and received 31 nominations for his work.
The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide. The official live red-carpet show will air at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
