- Conan O’Brien hosted the 97th Academy Awards
- Fans were almost universally pleased at his time as host
- What was his secret?
Conan O’Brien hosted the Oscars this weekend and delivered one of the most universally praised frontman stints in recent memory.
Let’s face it: hosting the Oscars is usually a pretty thankless gig.
Over the years, the Academy has called upon a range of different famous faces to present Hollywood’s biggest night. However, only a small percentage have managed to pull it off.
Read more: The best Conan O’Brien jokes from the Oscars
2024’s edition was fronted by Jimmy Kimmel, another Late Nite host who was no stranger to this type of work. He first presented in 2017 and liked it so much, he returned for three additional solo stints. Kimmel even managed to steer the show through some of its most infamous moments – like that wild Best Picture mix up in 2017.
His laid back approach and playful attitude struck the perfect balance when it comes to hosting qualities; it gave viewers something simultaneously daring yet safe. Not everyone has been able to replicate this approach. However, the ones that have have since become regular go-tos for the Academy.
Read more: How did Conan do at the Oscars: Fans love new host
Before Kimmel, comedian and actor Billy Crystal was the Oscars GOAT having hosted nine times. Before him, it was original late nite icon Johnny Carson. Comedians like Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin have also been called upon whenever the Academy needed a safe pair of hands.
Conan has emerged as a strong new Oscars host
Deciding who will host the Oscars is always a big question in the lead up to the event itself.
If the Academy relies on an old favorite, it’s deemed boring and unwilling to try and access new audiences. However, if it rolls the dice on someone new, it can fall flat on its face, with some hosts becoming down right forgettable.
In fact, the ‘Oscar host’ question looms so large that the Academy ditched the whole thing between 2019 and 2021, instead relying on a string of starry presenters.
Cut to 2025 and the Academy may have found its new secret weapon.
The Oscars are regularly accused of not speaking to or connecting with younger viewers. Their choice of host is often a big factor in whether or not this pans out and increasingly, a host’s social media clout is good indicator as to whether or not they’ve connected with a younger demographic.
“Pretty much everyone agrees Conan is killing it”
While a 61-year-old former Late Nite host who’s show isn’t even still on the air may seem like an odd choice when looking for someone to speak directly to a digital demographic, it kind of worked.
Even a quick look on X will show you that fans seemed to have loved Conan’s wild and well-written time as Oscars host.
“I love how almost every single Oscars show, you will have massive amounts of comments talking about how bad the host is, but pretty much everyone agrees Conan is killing it,” said one user.
Give @ConanOBrien a goddamned blank check to host the #Oscars for as long as he sees fit. Tonight's show was probably the best since Seth MacFarlane hosted. It moved, it was hysterical, and I need Conan to return with John Lithgow and Adam Sandler by his side. pic.twitter.com/baDKffvLiN
— Mike Reyes (@MrControversy83) March 3, 2025
“Give @ConanOBrien a goddamned blank check to host the #Oscars for as long as he sees fit,” said another. “It moved, it was hysterical, and I need Conan to return with John Lithgow and Adam Sandler by his side.”
What was Conan’s secret?
Well, perhaps his secret was the simple fact that he really had nothing to lose.
More often than not, the Academy picks a host who’s day-job is very much in the public eye or actively ongoing in the spheres of film, comedy, TV or music.
While Conan’s career is of course still going strong (a second season of his Emmy-winning new show Conan O’Brien Must Go is currently in the works), he’s at an interesting anything-goes point in his career.
After retiring his talk show Conan in 2021, fans will now find him as a podcast host, fronting the hugely popular Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend. Plus, the skills needed to be a host are far from new territory for the comedian.
His much-loved Conan remotes prove that his ability to work with raw unpredictability make him perfectly placed to handle any random chaos celebrities may whip up on the night itself. Plus, his time as a writer for both Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons mean that he has a naturally comedic mind and is arguably less dependent on a team of crack comedy writers, like other less seasoned hosts may be.
The secret is that Conan is actually a naturally funny guy who can also write entertaining stuff himself. That natural penchant for identifying good humor also allows him to tweak not-so-funny material and make it hit better. Many of the other hosts? Not so much. pic.twitter.com/x7C8Jx5W24
— Kirby's Last Snack (@KirbysLastSnack) March 3, 2025
Put simply, there’s little Conan hasn’t done before – and because of this, he has less to lose than previous Oscar hosts.
This carefree spirit and ‘nothing to prove’ abandon was apparent throughout all his screen time on yesterday’s show – and fans clearly ate it up.
It remains to be seen whether Conan will don his Oscars tux again in 2026 – but if he does, fans will be no doubt be pretty pleased about it.
