The 2025 Oscars has tapped Conan O’Brien as its next host. The comedian-turned-late-night host replaces Jimmy Kimmel as emcee of the 97th Oscars ceremony. Kimmel previously hosted the last two years of the Oscars. O’Brien brings 20 years of experience as a late-night host to the Oscars, having headlined shows such as Late Night With Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien, and Conan. He came up as a writer on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. The 2025 Oscars will air on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC, with the red carpet pre-show ceremony at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” Conan O’Brien said following the announcement.
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“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 in a joint statement. “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.”
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“Conan is a preeminent comedic voice, whose decades-long success is marked by his distinctive humor and perspective,” Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich said. “He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have served in this role, and we are so lucky to have him center stage for the Oscars.”
Executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan called out O’Brien’s experience on live TV along with his unique brand of humor: “Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host — he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television. We are so looking forward to working with him to deliver a fresh, exciting and celebratory show for Hollywood’s biggest night.”
The 2024 Oscars, which took place this March, also kicked off an hour earlier than ceremonies in years past and delivered the award show’s highest ratings in four years. It also marked the third straight year of viewership growth, with 19.5 million total viewers, a number that was up 4 percent from 2023.
The 97th Oscars ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2nd.
