Conan O’Brien Will Return to Again Host the 2026 Oscars Broadcast

Acknowledging a wave of positive press stemming from comedian Conan O’Brien’s hosting gig at the 2025 Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it had made a fairly elementary decision: They’re bringing Conan back for another go-round during next year’s broadcast, scheduled for March 15, 2026. It was pretty much a no-brainer for the ratings-obsessed Oscars, given that this year’s awards show attracted a five-year high in terms of both total viewers (19.69 million) and adults 18-49, while simultaneously ranking as the top primetime entertainment telecast of the year to date in terms of social interactions, with more than 104.2 million in total. That allowed this year’s Oscars broadcast to blow past the Super Bowl (62.4 million) and just barely squeak past the Grammys (102.2 million) as the “most social” broadcast of the year to date, which is a pretty big deal to the organization. It’s no surprise that the show’s producers are also returning: Raj Kapoor, Katy Mullan, Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney.

The most high-profile plaudits, though, have been going to Conan O’Brien, the beloved long-time late night host who we’ve continued to argue still needs to have a TV home where we can watch him on a weekly basis. His Oscars broadcast leaned into the free-wheeling zaniness that typified his various late night shows over the years, favoring silliness and absurdity, with recurring bits like “the sandworm from Dune” showing up to perform various instruments. O’brien managed a deft balance as host between genial friendliness and the occasional cutting barb at the expense of figures such as Drake, Timothee Chalamet and Emilia Perez star Karla Sofía Gascón. Said O’Brien, in a short statement about returning to host again: “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”

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

One hopes that for streaming viewers–likely a major reason for the uptick in viewership this year in a cord-cutting media landscape–that lessons learned during this Oscars broadcast will make for a smoother show in 2026. Many viewers attempting to watch the live broadcast via Hulu complained of interruptions and a lack of connectivity throughout the night, before the stream was then halted early when the streamer seemingly failed to realize the show (that always goes over time) was going to go over time. This resulted in many viewers missing the final two awards presented live, an incident that will with almost 100% certainty make its way into O’Brien’s 2026 monologue. Perhaps if we’re lucky, everyone will get to actually see Best Picture presented this time.