Conan O'Brien Hints at 'Endless Possibilities' for the 2026 Oscars

Conan O'Brien is gearing up for the 2026 Oscars. Ahead of Academy Award nominations on Thursday, the television host and comedian, who is returning as host this year after rave reviews as host in 2025, sat down with ABC News' Chris Connelly to talk about what we can expect to see on Hollywood's biggest night. "We have a lot of possibilities," O'Brien said. "Early on, you just generate possibilities for the show: 'What might we do?' You have to wait and see which movies are nominated, what's in the zeitgeist, so there'll be a lot of ideas that come in late. Sometimes those are the best ideas." While he couldn't reveal much about this year's show, O'Brien said that audiences can expect "a lot of magic." He said, "There'll be some explosions, CGI will be used. I see this second Oscars as an opportunity to take things up a notch." At the 97th Oscars, O'Brien's debut as Oscars host featured playful jabs at nominees, including "Emilia Pérez" actress Karla Sofía Gascón following offensive tweets that resurfaced amid awards season, as well as an appearance by "Dune: Part Two's" sandworm. "Sandworm was, you know, it was fascinating," he said. "We did this last year, and people forget so quickly." O'Brien added that Sandworm was a last-minute addition to the show, an example of the best ideas that are included later. "This is what I'm describing," he said. "Last-minute opportunities and how you have to bob and weave in any situation. Last year, we thought there's a chance that Elton John would do it. When Elton John couldn't do it, we said, OK, Sandworm puppet from 'Dune,' which is the nature of the business we're in." The television host joked, "And Sandworm, because of his appearance on the Oscars, is now touring a 89-city tour worldwide. But after the show, someone was carting this sandworm puppet off to be put in the Academy Museum. And I thought, that's fantastic. It's joining the shoes that Dorothy wore in the Wizard of Oz, the actual Bette Davis, they're all in the museum." When it comes to how he's approaching this year's hosting gig, what he tells himself is that the show isn't about him, it's about the nominees and pushing the show along. "When you do something like the Oscars, what you have to keep in mind is they're not there to see me," he said. "You need to put your ego not just in the backseat, but in the trunk." He continued, "I am there to facilitate. I'm there to bring some levity where it's useful. But it is not my show. It's the Oscars. And so it really helps to get into that mindset." "But once you prepare that way, I did find last year that people were ready to laugh, they were ready to have a good time," he added. The 2026 Oscars will air on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC and ABC News.