The Oscars telecast has, for many, become a predictable affair, often weighed down by familiar faces and a sense of diminishing returns, which Conan O’Brien effectively fixed. After a string of years where the hosting duties seemed to fall primarily to Jimmy Kimmel, a palpable weariness settled over viewers. This year, a seismic shift occurred, including some big Oscar snubs and surprises, some of them breaking Oscar records, as well as a refreshing host.

In a move that surprised and delighted, Conan O’Brien took the stage for his inaugural Oscars hosting gig, and the results were uplifting. O’Brien delivered a masterclass in comedic hosting between Oscar winner announcements, injecting a much-needed jolt of energy into the ceremony. His perfectly executed bits and genuine connection with the audience, both in the room and at home, sparked a wave of praise, proving that a fresh perspective can revitalize even the most established of Hollywood traditions.

Conan O’Brien Was An Almost Perfect Oscars Host (Which Is Rare)

O’Brien Perfectly Balanced Light Roasts With Theatrics

It was Conan O’Brien’s first time spearheading the Oscars, and he was a natural. The 97th Academy Awards was a challenging year for O’Brien taking the helm, as PR experts anticipated the “most toxic season in a decade” (per Tribune), not to mention a divisive moment in American history overall. He took this in his stride by only lightly touching on politics in O’Brien’s joke referring Putin, and keeping the roasts light. According to the New York Times, O’Brien’s strategy was to “infuse the show with positivity”, and that he did, appearing outright giddy about his genuine appreciation for movies.

Conan O’Brien appeared confident in his opening monologue without being arrogant, which featured a lot of the awkward, self-deprecating humor — something that he is known for. For example, observing “I’m walking to show I have control of the stage,” and noting that Antonio Banderas should have consulted him when preparing for his role as the husband who could not make his wife orgasm in Babygirl. He also included many silly, high-production theatrics to keep the show light and entertaining in a year marred by controversy, even featuring a Sand Worm from Dune playing both the piano and the harp.

That being said, O’Brien’s hosting was not all laughs. Striking a more serious tone, he showed a reverence for the workers out of the spotlight who make movies possible. He also gave the California Wildfire Relief Efforts a moment to shine on stage to acknowledge the devastation of the fires and their heroic work.

The Oscars Has Been Struggling To Connect With Audiences For A While

The Oscars’ Legacy Has Previously Been Marred By Diversity Issues

The Oscars notched nearly 20 million Americans watching the ceremony in 2024. However, award shows in general have had a viewership drop, including the Grammys dropped 9 percent, ending three years of gains (per New York Times). Because of this, the 97th Academy Awards increased their marketing efforts and focused on the novelty of having Conan O’Brien hosting, rather than Jimmy Kimmel, who had the gig in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024. O’Brien’s choice to keep it positive focusing on the art form made the 2025 Oscars resonate more, as did the diversity of nominees.

This year’s show needed a host who would uplift the industry and bring in viewers, especially as Barbenheimer was such a major cinematic event last year, inevitably drawing comparisons to event movie efforts that have tried to emulate its marketing spectacle.

This is an improvement on previous years, as previous Oscars hosts have sometimes had too many staged interactions with celebrities, and lack of diversity has been a common complaint, even inspiring an #OscarsSoWhite movement a decade ago, during the 87th Academy Awards. O’Brien poked light fun at diversity controversies like Karla Sofía Gascón’s tweets. This year’s show needed a host who would uplift the industry and bring in viewers, especially as Barbenheimer was such a major cinematic event last year, inevitably drawing comparisons to event movie efforts that have tried to emulate its marketing spectacle.

A Bad Awards Show Host Can Spell Disaster For The Show

Other Hosting Disasters Have Gone Down In History

Getting the humor right as an awards show host is a very difficult job among fluctuating public attitudes toward Hollywood. Last year’s Golden Globes saw stand-up comedian Jo Koy bombing his monologue, having accepted the job only 10 days before. Having had very little time to prepare, some of the jokes were good but many of them fell flat, with Jo Koy blaming other writers for the jokes that weren’t received well. At several points in his speech, he simply called out the names of attendees.

Another example of an awkward award show hosting was the 2011 Oscars, which saw James Franco and Anne Hathaway giving the monologue. Part of their back-and-forth humor was Franco appearing to hang Hathaway out to dry by saying they were both nominated for awards when Hathaway was not. This would have been funny if Franco’s lackluster monotony for the whole exchange didn’t drag the mood down, despite Hathaway’s efforts to keep it upbeat.

RelatedGrande and Erivo gave a great opening performance at the 2025 Oscars that highlighted some of the best moments from the Wizard of Oz franchise.

Seth MacFarlane in the 2013 Oscars created quite a clever setup for trying to change the course of the future so that he would not be rated the worst host in history of the ceremony. However, the song “we saw your boobs” was a tacky and misogynistic opening number that belonged on Family Guy, not the pinnacle of the movie industry recognizing actors of all genders for their craft. A better example of edgy humor was Ricky Gervais’ unforgettable 2020 Golden Globes, because he punched up and nobody was spared. Unlike other examples, Gervais’ risk paid off.

Conan O’Brien took a less controversial approach, which was the right move this time around. There were just the right amount of roasts, spectacles, and musical numbers. His homage to The Substance in his entrance skit in particular will go down in The Oscars’ history, especially as the fantastic body horror took home an award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Perhaps the Academy should already book him for next year’s event.