Conan O’Brien has signed up for a third year as Oscars host, Disney announced at its upfront presentation on Tuesday.
O’Brien will emcee the 2027 Academy Awards, airing live on ABC and Hulu on March 14, 2027 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
“Conan has created remarkable energy around the Oscars,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group. “His singular comedic voice makes Hollywood’s biggest night one of the most entertaining celebrations of the year.”
In addition to O’Brien, the Oscars have brought back producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan for the fourth year in a row, and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney for the third year in a row. Sweeney will also serve as a writer for the awards.
O’Brien “brings that signature humor everyone loves, along with a real warmth and generosity that carry through the entire show,” said Kapoor and Mullan. “He’s a true creative partner, someone we trust completely, and someone who makes the whole process genuinely fun, both behind the scenes and onstage. We’re incredibly grateful to keep building this together and can’t wait to share what’s next.”
Film Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Lynette Howell Taylor added of O’Brien and the producers: “They are an incredible team and have produced such captivating, entertaining and heartfelt shows over the last two years. We are so grateful for their ongoing partnership as we honor our global film community — and we look forward to Conan superbly leading the celebration with his brilliance and humor.”
O’Brien emceeing the Oscars for his third year means that for the third year in a row, both the Golden Globes and Oscars will have repeat hosts. Two-time Golden Globes emcee Nikki Glaser recently re-upped for a third year as Globes host. Though O’Brien’s 2027 hosting gig wasn’t announced as fast as his 2026 return, which revealed just a little over two weeks after he hosted the 2025 Oscars, ABC and the Academy have again locked down the host for Hollywood’s biggest night months ahead of the ceremony.
In his review of the 2026 Oscars for The Hollywood Reporter, chief TV critic Dan Fienberg said O’Brien was “very good” in his second outing as host and predicted “the Academy will be quick to invite him back.”
Speaking to THR for a cover story about O’Brien ahead of this year’s Oscars, Ross, the comedian’s close friend and executive producer through all three iterations of his time as a talk show host, said it was O’Brien who initially wanted to take on the Oscars gig, despite it being viewed by many people as a thankless job.
“When the first offer came in, I told him, ‘You don’t need to do this, you’ve got nothing to prove,’ ” Ross told THR. “When we quit late night, the goal was to only do things that are fun, things that we want to do. Well, this is what Conan wants to do.”
O’Brien, meanwhilem had another explanation for why he decides to do what he does: “There’s a little bearded Viking inside me. He’s been there since I was 10 years old. And when that Viking decides on something — whether it’s replacing David Letterman with no experience, skiing some advanced slope I have no business going down or hosting the Oscars, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Though the 2025 Oscars saw a ratings increase, logging a post-pandemic high of 19.69 million viewers, the 2026 Oscars’ ratings dropped to 17.86 million viewers, down roughly 9 percent from the totals for the 2025 telecast.
The 99th Oscars will be the second-to-last edition of the awards to air on ABC and Hulu, as YouTube is set to air the awards ceremony starting with its 101st edition in 2029. The 2027 Oscars will also be the second-to-last to take place from the ceremony’s longtime home of the Dolby Theatre, with the venue shifting to the Peacock Theater for the 101st Oscars in 2029.
