Hollywood’s biggest night needs Hollywood’s tallest host. The man, the myth, the legend himself, Conan O’Brien, will host the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, 2025. O’Brien will be the first podcast host to accept such an honor. He also hosted a late night talk show for 28 years, garnered 31 Emmy nominations for writing, winning five, and is one of the most beloved comedians in America. But it’s really the podcast thing, I’d say. Conan. Oscars. It just makes sense.
The news comes via the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday. (We saw it first on The Hollywood Reporter.) Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang discussed O’Brien’s host duties.
“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year. 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 himself added in his typical fashion: “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
Jimmy Kimmel, who had hosted the 89th, 90th, 95th, and 96th Oscars, declined the invitation to return for a fifth year. John Mulaney, who hosted the Academy’s 2023 Governors Awards ceremony to much acclaim, also reportedly turned down the chance to host the really big show.
All we can hope is that the FedEx Pope appears somewhere in the ceremony.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.