Conan O'Brien will return as host of the Academy Awards for a third consecutive year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday. The comedian, who has hosted the last two ceremonies to positive reviews, will front the 99th Oscars in March 2027.
O'Brien will be joined once more by executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan. Academy leaders Bill Kramer and Lynette Howell Taylor praised the team, saying in a joint statement, 'They are an incredible team and have produced such captivating, entertaining and heartfelt shows over the last two years.'
The decision to retain O'Brien comes despite a dip in viewership for the 2026 ceremony, when 'One Battle After Another' won best picture. Ratings fell after several years of increases, including a post-pandemic high of 19.7 million viewers for O'Brien's debut in 2025. However, social media engagement during the broadcast rose by more than 42 per cent this year.
Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, said O'Brien has 'created remarkable energy around the Oscars' and called his comedic voice 'singular'. The 99th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 14 March 2027. It will be the penultimate ceremony at that venue and on broadcast television before the event moves to YouTube and downtown Los Angeles in 2029.
