The 97th annual Academy Awards are gearing up to be one of the most memorable — and funniest— hosting gigs of Conan O’Brien’s career.
“I’ve hosted many awards shows in my life, but the Oscars, it’s the pinnacle,” O’Brien, 61, said in a sneak peek at the Sunday, March 2, awards ceremony shared exclusively by Us Weekly. “It’s the one you dream about hosting when you’re a child … as long as the pay is good. I’m looking into that.”
As for what fans can expect to see from O’Brien during the show, he hilariously teased, “There’ll be several moments in the Oscars where I’ll be shirtless and oiled, and I think that’s going to hurt the program incredibly.”
O’Brien went on to poke fun at the Oscars’ infamous habit of running over its runtime, joking, “My biggest goal is to enjoy the nine hours of the Oscar telecast. I think it would be a shame to get the chance to host the Oscars and not have a good time, so I’ll be medicated.”
On a sentimental note, O’Brien noted that the biggest hosting lesson he’s learned over the years is that “mistakes aren’t mistakes.” In fact, he sees mistakes as a positive thing. “I’m someone who hopes that things sometimes go a little off the rails because that’s where the real memorable moments happen, on late-night and on the Oscars,” he explained.
In the clip, Oscars executive producer Katy Mullan called the former late-night host “the real deal,” adding, “He’s got all the skills, all the talent and I think he’s gonna bring a really, really fresh take to the Oscars this year. … He’s got that warmth and wit, but he’s also got that little edge, so he brings the unexpected. So, I think people are really excited to see what that means when he takes the Oscars stage this year.”
Noting that they are “Team Coco all the way,” executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor went on to state, “It’s not only, like, little host segments, but he has this creative vision of how he’s going to bring everybody along throughout the evening.”
O’Brien was announced as the 2025 Oscars host back in November 2024. “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” he joked in a statement at the time.
This year’s ceremony will mark the funnyman’s first time hosting the coveted awards show. “We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a November 2024 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.”
Emilia Pérez leads this year’s nominations list with a total of 13 nods. The Brutalist and Wicked tied in second with 10 each. All three films are nominated for Best Picture alongside Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance.
Check out the full Oscars sneak peek clip above.
The Oscars air live on ABC Sunday, March 2, at 7 p.m. ET.
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