Conan O’Brien to return as Oscars host; 2026 ceremony date confirmed

Conan O’Brien will return to host the 98^th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026.

The comedian and talk show host will mark his second year after leading the charge for the 97^th Oscars earlier this month. The Anora-dominated ceremony hit a five-year high in ratings with viewers just shy of 20 million.

The 2026 Oscars will be broadcast on ABC at 19:00 ET/16:00 PT. There is no word yet on whether the ceremony will stream on Hulu which hosted the show on its platform for the first time this year, though suffered from some minor technical difficulties.

Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan are returning as executive producers for the third year in a row while Jeff Ross and Mikey Sweeney will mark their second year as producers. Sweeney will also serve as a writer.

The 98^th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and is to be broadcast in more than 200 territories.

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