Conan O’Brien returning to host Oscars in 2026

Conan O’Brien will return to host the 98th Oscars next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.

“The only reason I’m hosting The Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” O’Brien joked in a statement, referring to this year’s best actor Oscar winner, whose acceptance speech was over five minutes long.

The announcement comes two weeks after the comedian and producer hosted his first Academy Awards, the 97th Oscars, on March 2, which brought in over 19 million total viewers, making it the no. 1 prime-time entertainment telecast for the 2024-2025 season.

Ahead of the Oscars this year, O’Brien had told Good Morning America he was excited to host Hollywood’s biggest night.

“I have an amazing team of writers. We have been going through tons of ideas, and I’m excited because I grew up watching the Oscars, and it is something [that’s] imprinted on my memory,” he said in February.

O’Brien will reunite with executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, who are both returning for a third year, and producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney, who is also a writer for the awards show.

The 98th Oscars are scheduled to be broadcast live on March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT on ABC. The ceremony will also return to the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.