Comedian and television hostConan O’Brienhas opened up on the possibility of him returning asOscarshost following his acclaimed appearance this year. The Academy Awards are seen as the most prominent accolades in the film industry, and the host of the ceremony can set the tone for the night’s choices. At this year’s 97th Annual Academy Awards, O’Brien, who was making his hosting debut, took the baton from the previous host Jimmy Kimmel, andreviews of the Oscars telecasthave hailed it as a return to form. His performance even prompted calls for him to host future ceremonies.
In an interview withScreenRant’s Liam Crowley atSXSWfor the Claiming the Future of Entertainment panel,O’Brien addressed the possibility of returning to the popular awards ceremony as host in the future. Speaking about his focus on having fun with it, he revealed that he would be excited to return to host the Oscars, before stating the decision is down to the Academy. Check out O’Brien’s full comments below:
I don’t reflect on anything, I’m a superficial, hollow person. But my promise to myself was to work hard on this, and then have fun with it. Do all the preparation necessary so that for that three-and-a-half hours — or four hours, if you include Adrian Brody’s speech — I get to have fun. Because I know one thing, if I’m having a good time, it’s going to be good. And that’s what I was saying to Johanna beforehand is if I’m having a good time, which I did, if we can sit out there and just talk about gaming and dip into her world for an hour in front of people and enjoy ourselves, it’s going to be a good panel.
And that was my approach to the Oscars is do everything I can so that the conditions are right, so I can have fun. I don’t know why, but it comes through your television, your smart watch, your phone, it just comes through the ether. So, that was the plan, and I’m glad it worked out.
Let’s see. I’ve got to consult my doctor first. You can do a series of tests, but we’ll see. It’s up to the Academy, we’ll find out, and you never know what’s going to happen. As they say at Blizzard, there’s a lot of exciting news coming your way. I’ll say this, I had a really good time. I really enjoyed it, it’s a fun gig, and we’ll see what happens.
What These Comments Mean For O’Brien’s Potential Oscars Return
The Academy Has A History Of Recalling Successful Hosts
O’Brien’s comments are positive for those hoping theSaturday Night Livealum might return for future Oscars ceremonies. He seemed keen to come back and was quick to emphasize his enjoyment of his first-ever ceremony as host.There are certainly similarities between the role and the talk show host gig that made O’Brien into a TV icon, and his gravitas and small-screen experience made him the ideal choice to front such a prominent awards evening. It sounds like he is looking to broaden his career experiences, so a return could certainly be in the cards.
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97th Annual Academy Awards
Conan O’Brien
While there are several other prominentcelebrities who should host the Oscars, and could well do so in the coming years,the Academy has shown that they like to reuse previously successful hosts. Famously, Billy Crystal hosted four consecutive Academy Awards ceremonies, between 1990 and 1993, and star names including Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Rock have all hosted multiple times. Kimmel hosted the two ceremonies prior to this year’s. A talented household name like O’Brien should make for a safe, stable, and engaging choice of host and bring the promise of a drama-free ceremony.
Our Take On O’Brien’s Potential Oscars Return
The Presenter Feels Like A Good Fit & Could Host Multiple Ceremonies
The Oscars are the pinnacle of Hollywood’s awards season and are still highly regarded within the industry. The most recent Academy Awards ceremony saw the highest ratings since 2020, with 19.7 million viewers, and O’Brien’s role as host could well have contributed to this. Discussions will no doubt be underway for him to return in the future, and the fact he has publicly expressed interest in hosting again makes it likely that could be as early as next year’sOscars.Given enough opportunities, he could even go on to become one of thegreatest-ever Oscar hosts.
The Oscars
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The Oscars, first held in 1929, is an annual American awards ceremony honoring achievements in the film industry. Winners across multiple categories receive a statuette officially named the Academy Award of Merit, commonly known as the Oscar.
