Conan O'Brien Set to Host 98th Oscars for Second Year in a Row

For a second consecutive year, Emmy® Award-winning television host, writer, producer and comedian Conan O’Brien will return to host the Oscars® broadcast. Emmy Award-winning live television event producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are also set return as the show’s executive producers for the third consecutive year. Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will return as producers for a second time, and Sweeney will also serve as a writer. The 98th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” said O’Brien.

“We are both so honored to be returning in our roles for the 98th Oscars,” said Kapoor and Mullan. “We can't wait to work with Conan and his entire team as we continue to explore even more special and heartfelt opportunities to celebrate next year's nominees and the impact of film around the world.”

Hosted by O’Brien, the 97th Oscars, held earlier this month on March 2, delivered a five-year high in both total viewers (19.69 million) and adults 18-49 (4.54 rating) and ranked as the number one primetime entertainment telecast in both total viewers and adults for the 2024-2025 season. The 97th Oscars earned 104.2 million total social interactions, ranking as the number one most social TV program season-to-date, outperforming both “The Grammy Awards” (102.2 million interactions) and “The Super Bowl” (62.4 million) this season for the first time on record.

O’Brien is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.” Before his more than two-decade hosting career, he served as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.” Currently, O’Brien hosts the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast, MAX travel show “Conan O’Brien Must Go” and has a supporting role in the feature film “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” He has won five Primetime Emmys® and earned 31 nominations for his work.

The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Photo courtesy of AMPAS