Conan O’Brien to Host Oscars for Third Straight Year

Conan O’Brien is staying in the Oscar business.

The former late-night host is set to helm the 99th Academy Awards, airing live Sunday, March 14, 2027, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and Hulu.

ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the news at Disney’s annual upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday afternoon in New York.

The gig will mark O’Brien’s third consecutive turn as Oscars host—a distinction no one has claimed in more than three decades. The last person to host the show more than two years in a row was Billy Crystal, who emceed four straight ceremonies from 1990 through 1993.

Also returning are executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, who will oversee the show for the fourth consecutive year. O’Brien’s longtime collaborators Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney are back as producers for a third time, with Sweeney also returning as a head writer.

“We are thrilled to be working again with Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 99th Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a statement. “They are an incredible team and have produced such captivating, entertaining and heartfelt shows over the last two years.”

O’Brien’s continued Oscar residency represents a striking reversal from the Academy’s not-so-distant host-search era, when the job was often filled late in the cycle—or not filled at all. His first turn in 2025 came together only after Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney both reportedly passed, and just months before the ceremony. The Academy then moved quickly to bring him back for 2026.

O’Brien now looks to be the face of the Oscars’ final ABC stretch. The 2027 ceremony will be the network’s penultimate Oscars telecast; after the 100th Academy Awards in 2028, the show is set to move to YouTube beginning in 2029. The Google-owned streaming platform will become the Oscars’ exclusive global home through 2033.

The Disney side is happy to keep O’Brien in place for at least one more year. “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.”

Kapoor and Mullan likewise praised O’Brien as “a true creative partner,” adding that his “signature humor” and “real warmth and generosity” carry through the show both onstage and behind the scenes.

O’Brien’s two Oscars hosting gigs have been well-received by reviewers and audiences alike, with his 2025 Oscars debut drawing the telecast’s largest audience in five years, and his return this year nearly matching that number.

The 99th Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air live in more than 200 territories worldwide.