Conan Earns Return Invite as Oscars Host

Conan O'Brien will return to host the Oscars next year after his well-received debut earlier this month, reports the New York Times. "The only reason I'm hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech," O'Brien said in a statement, referring to Brody's loooong speech after winning the Oscar for best actor. Producers Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will return as well.

• Ratings success: O'Brien's show drew a five-year high in viewership with nearly 20 million watching, per Variety. It also surpassed the Grammys and the Super Bowl in terms of social media, with more than 104 million engagements. In short, lots of people tuned in, and they appeared to stick around.

• Date is set: "Conan was the perfect host—skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang in a statement. They also announced that the 98th Oscars would air on March 15, 2026.
• Best lines: The Guardian rounds up some of O'Brien's best lines from the show, including this one: "Anora uses the F-word 479 times. That's three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascon's publicist. … Karla if you are going to tweet about the Oscars tonight, my name is Jimmy Kimmel." It's a reference to this controversy.
• Good reviews: The Hollywood Reporter notes that O'Brien got strong reviews as a first-time host. Watch his opening monologue here.

(More Conan O'Brien stories.)