We would like to thank the Academy for bringing Conan O'Brien back to host the 2026 Oscars

Alongside the O’Brien news, the Oscars confirmed that Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will return as executive producers for the third consecutive year. “We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscars!” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way. Conan was the perfect host—skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence. It is an honor to be working with them again.”

It’s not easy finding a good entertainer to helm the Oscars, a job three-time host Steve Martin has described as “thankless.” Conan O’Brien wasn’t even announced as this year’s host until November 2024, which is relatively late in the season. But in the post-game analysis, both viewers and Disney brass all seemed pretty pleased with how things turned out. After initially reporting a dip in viewership for the 2025 Oscars, Disney corrected the record by announcing this year’s ceremony actually drew an audience of 19.69 million viewers across ABC and Hulu (per Deadline). That’s actually a hair above the 2024 ceremony, which drew 19.5 million. It’s still below O’Brien’s showtime estimate of a billion people around the world, but if the Academy sticks with the beloved comedian for a few good years then who knows!