By Brooks Barnes
In their quest to find a host who will generate buzz but not blow up in their faces, Academy Awards organizers have traded a current late-night comedian (Jimmy Kimmel) for a former one: Conan O’Brien.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said late last week that O’Brien, 61, would serve as master of ceremonies for the 97th Oscars ceremony, which will be broadcast on ABC in March. O’Brien left late-night television in 2021 and has since focused on a popular podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” and a spinoff travel show for the Max streaming service called “Conan O’Brien Must Go.”
“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” O’Brien said in a statement. “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
O’Brien checked a number of boxes for the academy. Since he has never hosted the Oscars before, he will bring a certain freshness to the show, which can come off as old-fashioned at best and out-of-touch at worst. At the same time, O’Brien is a safe choice — a seasoned pro whose comedic style has been honed over decades and who has successfully hosted other award shows, including the Emmys.
Moreover, O’Brien is known for his ability to move seamlessly between light and heavy topics, a skill that could serve him well at the Oscars, where hosts are expected to address serious issues — the political divide in the United States will undoubtedly be one in March — while keeping the overall mood upbeat and viewers from tuning out.
O’Brien is also known for orchestrating viral moments, something that academy officials have increasingly coveted both for the Oscars telecast and for the advance promotion of it. O’Brien has 27 million followers on the social platform X.
Seeking relevancy for the ceremony after a period of plunging ratings, the academy and ABC have bounced between formats in recent years. They tried three hosts in 2022 (Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer) and zero hosts from 2019 to 2021. For the 2023 and 2024 shows, the academy returned to one host — Kimmel, who also did the job in 2017 and 2018.
Kimmel helped restore luster to an event tarnished in 2022 when Will Smith marched onstage and slapped Chris Rock. ABC’s telecast of the 96th Academy Awards this year drew 19.5 million viewers, hitting a four-year viewership high, according to Nielsen. (Before 2018, the Oscars show had never dropped below 32 million viewers.)
Hosting the ceremony was once seen as a feather in the cap for top comedians like Billy Crystal, a nine-time host, and Whoopi Goldberg, who was host four times. But many stars have become leery about the time commitment and potential backlash the gig can bring. Trash-talking the Oscars — for its stilted banter, for the choices made by voters, for its very existence — has become a hallmark of the social media age.
Kimmel said in August that he would not return as host, at least not without a year off. John Mulaney also passed, leading the academy to O’Brien.
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