Conan O’Brien will reprise his Oscar hosting duties next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday morning, in one of the earliest renewals for an Oscar host.
The news comes after Mr. O’Brien received high marks for his work as the emcee of the 97th Oscar telecast, which delivered a five-year ratings high for ABC this month. It was his first time hosting the show.
“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” Mr. O’Brien said in a statement, referring to Mr. Brody’s five-minute oration after winning the Oscar for best actor.
The show’s producers, Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney, will also return for a second year. And the ceremony’s executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, will be back for a third consecutive year. The ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026.
The job of hosting the Oscar telecast is often a thorny one. The comedian Chevy Chase called it “the most thankless job in the world.” The hosts rarely get credit when things go right — and are often held responsible when things go wrong.
In the past few years, the academy has tried to shore up the assignment early, though it didn’t announce its most recent hosts until the November before the March telecast. Jimmy Kimmel signed on for his fourth and final turn in November 2023, and Mr. O’Brien was named in November 2024.
“Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence,” Bill Kramer, the academy’s chief executive, and Janet Yang, the group’s president, said in a statement.
