Conan O'Brien is officially returning to host the Academy Awards for a third consecutive year, with the comedian now set to lead the 99th Oscars on March 14, 2027. The ceremony will once again air live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on ABC and Hulu.

The decision may not come as much of a surprise. Conan’s recent Oscar stints have been widely praised for balancing humor and warmth, while helping the ceremony post some of its strongest recent ratings during a difficult era for live awards shows, exactly why he is coming back again.

 The announcement of Conan O’Brien to host the Oscars for the third time was made during Disney’s Upfront presentation, with Academy leadership and Disney executives praising his contribution to Hollywood’s biggest night over the last two years. His return also makes him the first Oscars host ever to host the ceremony three years in a row since Billy Crystal from 1990 to 1993.

The Academy’s decision appears rooted in more than familiarity. O’Brien’s first Oscars outing in 2025 pulled in 19.69 million viewers, marking a post-pandemic high for the ceremony. While the 2026 telecast dipped to 17.86 million viewers, the event remained one of the stronger recent performances for the awards show at a time when live ceremonies continue struggling to hold audiences.

The response also appears to have worked in his favor. Reviewing the 2026 ceremony for The Hollywood Reporter, chief TV critic Dan Fienberg described O’Brien as “very good” in his second outing and predicted, “the Academy will be quick to invite him back.” Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich echoed similar praise in Disney’s official announcement, saying O’Brien had created “remarkable energy” around the Oscars with a comedic voice that helped make Hollywood’s biggest night feel entertaining again.

Producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan also celebrated the reunion in a joint statement shared by Disney, as they will be returning as well, calling O’Brien “a true creative partner” who makes the process “genuinely fun, both behind the scenes and onstage.” This milestone also makes Conan the first Oscars host ever to return for three consecutive years, since Billy Crystal, who hosted the ceremony across four straight years between 1990 and 1993.

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But for O’Brien, returning to the Oscars appears to carry a far deeper personal meaning than simply hosting another major awards show.

Speaking during a press conference ahead of the 98th Academy Awards earlier this year, Conan O’Brien reflected on how hosting the ceremony unexpectedly connected him to memories of his late father, Dr. Thomas O’Brien, who passed away in December 2024. Conan recalled watching Johnny Carson host the Oscars while sitting beside his father as a child.

“When I was growing up, and this is probably true of a lot of kids, I’d look at my dad and think, what’s my dad into?...His treat was he would watch Johnny Carson. So I would sometimes get to stay up and watch Johnny Carson with him,” O’Brien said during the press conference.

“To think that maybe now I’m part of that equation somehow, and in a cosmic way links me to my dad, is pretty amazing,” O’Brien added, describing the experience as a genuine full-circle moment. His longtime producing partner, Jeff Ross, also told The Hollywood Reporter that despite the Oscars often being viewed as a difficult, thankless hosting job, Conan genuinely wanted to do it. And for the third time in a row, O’Brien is getting to do it again.

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