The humorist Conan O’Brien will be the host of the Oscar next year for the second time after reaping almost 20 million viewers in this year’s edition. The presenter will return to encourage the 98th edition of the Academy Awards on March 15, 2026.
The Academy has praised O’Brien for “skillful guiding” the Oscars, in which tragicomedy about a sex worker ‘Anora’ won the statuette for best film. At the ceremony, the winner for best actor, Adrien Brody (‘The Brutalist’), also established a new record to the longer thanks speech, thanks to its 5 minutes and 40 seconds on stage.
«The only reason I am encouraging the Oscar next year is that QI want to listen to Adrien Brody to finish his speech”O’Brien joked in the statement on Monday after confirming that he will be the presenter for the second consecutive year.
The producers of the event, Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, will also return in 2026. With 19.69 million viewers, the Oscar transmission raised their audience for the fifth consecutive year. This was due, in part, that for the first time they were broadcast live in the Hulu streaming platform. The figure was slightly higher at 19.5 million people who saw the gala last year, when ‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie’ were the favorites. During the pandemic, the Oscar audience fell to 10.4 million.
The transmission of the academy awards reached 40 million viewers a decade ago. O’Brien’s first participation in the Oscar, with a lively opening monologue, a musical number and a recorded scene satirizing the body horror tape ‘The substance’ was very praised.
Variety’s publication said the comedian «razed his debut as host, walking on The perfect line between acidity and appreciation».
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