Conan O'Brien hosts the 2026 Oscars for a second straight year at the Dolby Theatre

Conan O'Brien is now a two-time Oscar host, and the Academy did not have to spend much time convincing him to come back. The former late-night comedian returned to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 98th Academy Awards, headlining his second consecutive ceremony after a well-received debut at the 97th. This time he came in with the crowd already on his side, which is a different kind of pressure than the first year, and by most accounts he handled it well.

What made O'Brien the right fit two years running

The Academy has cycled through hosts, multi-host formats, and no-host years with mixed results over the past decade. Jimmy Kimmel hosted three separate times between 2017 and 2023, which showed the Academy's preference for reliability over novelty when a host actually works. O'Brien's return follows that same logic. His first year at the podium drew strong ratings and favorable reviews, and in an era when the Oscars are still trying to rebuild their television audience after years of viewership decline, that combination was enough to bring him back.

O'Brien's style at the Oscars has leaned on self-deprecation and absurdist sketches rather than sharp political commentary, which tends to produce a less divisive broadcast. His opening monologue in 2025 averaged around 19.5 million viewers, the ceremony's best performance in several years. That number gave producers a concrete reason to re-sign him.

Matt Berry joins as announcer

British actor Matt Berry served as the evening's announcer, a role that gave him regular appearances throughout the broadcast. Berry is best known internationally for his work in 'The IT Crowd,' where he played Denholm and later Douglas Reynholm, and for his lead role as Laszlo Cravensworth in 'What We Do in the Shadows' on FX. His casting as announcer was an unusual choice that paid off in practice. Berry's delivery is inherently comic without requiring effort, and pairing that voice with the ceremony's more formal moments created a running contrast that landed consistently.

The announcer role at the Oscars is typically filled by someone with strong name recognition but enough distance from the competitive categories to stay neutral. Berry fit that profile while also bringing genuine comedic credibility, which complemented O'Brien's hosting style rather than competing with it.

The ceremony's emotional moments

Several acceptance speeches stood out during the evening. Autumn Durald Arkapaw's win for Best Cinematography produced one of the night's more genuine reactions from the room, given that she became the first woman to win the award in the category's nearly century-long history. Michael B. Jordan's Best Actor win for 'Sinners' drew a long standing ovation that carried into his speech. Jessie Buckley, accepting Best Actress for 'Hamnet,' kept her remarks brief and specific, thanking her director and the source novel's author Maggie O'Farrell by name.

O'Brien navigated the emotional beats of the ceremony without overshadowing them, which is the primary job of an Oscars host. The temptation to make every moment about the host is real, and the ceremonies that fail most visibly tend to be the ones where the hosting overshadows the awards themselves. O'Brien's instinct in both his hosting years has been to step back when the room calls for it.

Will O'Brien return for a third year?

Academy producers have indicated they are weighing whether to invite O'Brien back for a third consecutive ceremony. That would be notable. In the modern era of the Oscars, no host has appeared three years in a row. Billy Crystal hosted nine times between 1990 and 2012, but never three consecutive years. Bob Hope hosted the most times overall at 18 appearances, though the format of the ceremony was substantially different in that era.

The conversation about a third year will likely come down to broadcast numbers from the 98th ceremony. If viewership held steady or improved over the 97th, that data will make the case for continuity. If it dropped, producers may prefer a new host for the 99th ceremony regardless of how well the night went qualitatively. The ratings for the 98th ceremony are expected to be released by ABC within the next 24 hours.

O'Brien's hosting career in context

O'Brien hosted 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' on NBC from 1993 to 2009, then 'The Tonight Show' briefly in 2009 to 2010 before the widely covered conflict with Jay Leno ended his run there, and then 'Conan' on TBS from 2010 to 2021. He ended his television run with a podcast, 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend,' which has consistently ranked among the most downloaded comedy podcasts in the United States. The Oscar hosting gig represents a different kind of platform, a live broadcast event rather than a recurring show, but it draws on the same skills he spent three decades refining.