Comedian and late-night television host Conan O’Brien will be emceeing the 97th Oscar ceremonies scheduled for Sunday, March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. He will replace Jimmy Kimmell, who had hosted the program for the past two years as well as in 2017 and 2018. Over the course of his career, O’Brien was nominated 31 times for Emmy awards and won five times.
In announcing O’Brien’s role, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a statement jointly made by its CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang. They said: “We are thrilled to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year. 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.”
O’Brien replied with a touch of humor, saying “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, who are the executive producers of the Oscar show, lauded the choice of O’Brien by stating: “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.”
News of O’Brien’s appointment was lauded by industry bigwigs. Craig Erwich, the president of the Disney Television Group, was quoted as saying that “Conan is a preeminent comedic voice, whose decades-long success is marked by his distinctive humor and perspective, 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.”
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is hoping that O’Brien’s presence will help improve ratings for the ceremony, which attracted 19.4 million viewers in 2024. By way of contrast, the show drew 40 million viewers in 2014 and only 10.4 million in 2021.
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