CONAN O’BRIEN is set to host the Oscars, taking over hosting duties from late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel.

Comedian O’Brien will take on emcee responsibilities for Hollywood’s biggest night on 2 March 2025, at the Dolby Theatre.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” O’Brien quipped in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars. https://t.co/OFIlxI3wh4

— Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) November 15, 2024

Meanwhile, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang described O’Brien “the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humour, his love of movies and his live TV expertise”.

“His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best – honour the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year,” they said in the statement.

O’Brien is a five-time Emmy Award winner and has hosted several late-night television shows in the United States.

His most recent Emmy win came for an episode of his travel show, Conan O’Brien Must Go, titled ‘Ireland’– in which he travelled to Ireland and even made a cameo in Irish language drama Ros na Rún. 

O’Brien, who claims Irish-American heritage, visited Ireland back in January of this year, when he filmed both the winning episode of his travel show and appeared in an episode of Season 28 of TG4′s Ros na Rún as a “delivery man”.

He was also a writer for both Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and currently hosts his own podcast called Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018.

He was then brought back in 2023 after the previous year’s ceremony featured actor Will Smith’s infamous on-stage slap of Chris Rock.

Kimmel also hosted the 2024 awards show.

Almost 20 million tuned in for the last Oscars – a welcome upward trend for organisers of live awards shows, which have been shedding viewers as they compete for viewers with streamers and social media highlight clips.