Conan O’Brien To Host The Oscars For The First Time: ‘America Demanded It’

Conan O’Brien will officially host the Oscars for the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Friday in a news release that provided the popular comedian an easy setup to crack a joke about it.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” O’Brien wrote in an accompanying statement about the 2025 award show. “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.

The former “Simpsons” writer, who hosted “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” from 1993 to 2009 and has been nominated for 31 Emmys (winning five), will be taking the reins from Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted the Oscars four times, from 2017 to this year’s show in March.

“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said Friday. “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.”

O’Brien has often espoused his love for cinema, particularly on his podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” where he has interviewed actors including Tom Hanks, Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges, as well as directors Ron Howard, Jordan Peele and Rob Reiner.

The comedian, who was part of the “war for late night” with Jay Leno, who hosted “The Tonight Show” from 1992 until O’Brien took it over briefly in 2009, was notably peevish after the 2019 Oscars aired without a host — to a reported spike in viewership.

“There was no host last night, and the show did better!” O’Brien said on his TBS show at the time. “Ratings were up 11%. So today, people were saying, ‘Maybe we don’t need a host anymore.’ Do you know what that means to me? Do you know how terrifying that concept is?”

“All last night I was like, tossing and turning,” he said. “‘End of hosts! No host! Hosts gone!’”

Kimmel, who reportedly turned down the opportunity to host the Oscars for a fifth time, was nominated for two consecutive Emmys for hosting in 2023 and 2024.

The 97th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time on March 2.