Comic Conan O'Brien, a former late-night tv host, will emcee the Oscars for the primary time, changing fellow comic Jimmy Kimmel, organizers stated Friday.
O'Brien, 61, will preside over Hollywood's largest night time subsequent March, hoping to keep up – and even perhaps enhance on – the scores surge seen earlier this 12 months.
“America demanded it and now it's occurring: Taco Bell's new Tacky Chalupa Supreme. In different information, I'm internet hosting the Oscars,” O'Brien joked in an announcement from the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences.
Academy CEO Invoice Kramer and President Janet Yang known as O'Brien “the right particular person to assist lead our world celebration of cinema together with his good humor, love of movie and expertise in dwell tv.” “.
“Its outstanding means to attach with audiences will deliver viewers collectively to do what the Oscars do greatest: honor this 12 months's spectacular movies and filmmakers,” they stated within the assertion.
Govt producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan praised O'Brien as “extremely witty, charismatic and humorous.”
A five-time Emmy winner, O'Brien hosted a number of late-night discuss reveals, together with “The Tonight Present,” and at the moment hosts the podcast “Conan O'Brien Wants a Good friend.” He beforehand labored as a author for “Saturday Night time Stay.”
Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018. He then returned in 2023 after the earlier 12 months's ceremony featured actor Will Smith's notorious onstage slap at Chris Rock. Kimmel additionally hosted the gala final March.
Almost 20 million tuned in to the newest Oscars, a welcome upward development for organizers of dwell awards reveals, which have been dropping viewers as they compete for viewers with streamers and social media spotlight clips.
The 97th Academy Awards will happen on March 2, 2025 on the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.