Conan O’Brien Already Set to Host 2026 Oscars

Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will serve as executive producers for the third straight year.

Mar 17, 2025 - 13:53

Conan O’Brien Already Set to Host 2026 Oscars

Well, that was fast. Just two weeks after Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars for the first time, the Motion Picture Academy announced that he will be back to host the 2026 show. O’Brien is the first first-time host to host again the following year since Jimmy Kimmel in 2017-18.

“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” O’Brien said with characteristic dry wit. (The best actor winner set a new record for the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history.)

It can’t be a coincidence that the Oscars chose to make the announcement on St. Patrick’s Day. O’Brien was famously raised in an Irish Catholic family. O’Brien’s success as an Oscars host makes up for his bumpy, eight-month run as host of another legendary franchise, The Tonight Show, in 2009-10. O’Brien, 61, has won five Primetime Emmys.

Last week, the Golden Globes made a similarly early announcement that they are bringing back first-time host Nikki Glaser to host their 2026 show.

The 2025 Oscars, held on March 2, delivered a five-year high in both total viewers (19.69 million) and adults 18-49 (4.54 rating) and ranked as the No. 1 primetime entertainment telecast in both total viewers and adults for the 2024-25 season. The show earned 104.2 million total social interactions, ranking as the No. 1 most social TV program for the season to date, outperforming both The Grammy Awards (102.2 million interactions) and The Super Bowl (62.4 million) this season for the first time on record.

The 2026 Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. It’s the third year in a row that the telecast will start at 4 p.m. on the West Coast – in an effort to make it so that East Coast viewers can find out who wins the biggest awards before they go to bed. (This year’s show ended at 10:50 p.m. ET, making that goal a reality for all but the earliest risers.)

The show will again be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Theater in Hollywood, its home base for every year but one since 2002. (The best-forgotten 2021 pandemic show was held at the Union Station in downtown L.A.)

Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will return as the show’s executive producers for the third consecutive year. They first served in that capacity in 2024, when Kimmel hosted. They each won Primetime Emmys for outstanding variety special (live) for that show. Kapoor had previously won for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) for his work on Adele: One Night Only.

“We are both so honored to be returning in our roles for the 98th Oscars,” Kapoor and Mullan said in a joint statement. “We can’t wait to work with Conan and his entire team as we continue to explore even more special and heartfelt opportunities to celebrate next year’s nominees and the impact of film around the world.”

Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will return as producers for a second time. Sweeney will also serve as a writer. Sweeney has won three Primetime Emmys for previous productions with O’Brien. Ross has won one.

“We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscars!” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang in a joint statement. “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.”