There’s a new comedian in town ready to take one on of the hardest jobs in Hollywood: hosting the Academy Awards
The 2025 Oscars needed a host, seeing as the man who has been at the helm the most over the last ten years is over it.
Jimmy Kimmel announced over the summer in 2024 that fans hoping to see him host the Academy Awards next year would be left wanting.
Kimmel is out, and so was the comedian most assumed was next in line for the gig. Then, just a few months before the big night, Conan O’Brien was announced for the gig.
Honestly, we were spoiled for choice on who could do it, and if we’re being totally honest, we liked some of our picks better.
Conan The Barbarian Oscar Host
The 97th Oscars finally have named a host and his name is Conan O’Brien.
For the very first time, the Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, comedian, and one-time Tonight Show host will be at the helm of 97th Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.
“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” saidAcademy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang.
“He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, 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–honor the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.”
In truth, Conan has been out of the media spotlight for a number of years and his name never really came out at all as people speculated on who could host – something Conan himself conceded in his announcement.
“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” said O’Brien.
Jimmy Kimmel Gives Up Oscar Hosting Gig
In order for Conan to take over, someone else had to step aside.
The late night star has served as Oscars host four times in the last ten years, having emceed Hollywood’s biggest night in 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024.
In an interview several months after the last show, Jimmy revealed he wouldn’t be returning in 2025. Turns out, the gig comes at too high of a price.
“I just decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year,” Kimmel said.
“It was just too much last year. You wind up pushing everything off till after the Oscars, and then you have to do everything you promised to do after the Oscars, after the Oscars. I did two years [2017 and 2018], it went well. I did another two years [2023 and 2024], it went well. I figured I’d take a little break.”
Most of what he “put off” had to do with his own show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, which for all his talk of leaving late night, he still loves it.
“I’m not good at balancing. I’m really not,” he added.
“It’s not one of my strengths. I’m all in when it comes to something like the Oscars. I think about it in the morning and at night, and when I have ideas I want to work on them, and then my nightly show seems like a nuisance. We have all our writers from the show working on the Oscars, so it distracts them. It’s fun to do, and it feels good when it went well, but, for me, just was too much, to do it three years in a row.”
John Mulaney Is Out Too
The rumor was, after Jimmy Kimmel passed on hosting the Oscars in 2025, that the next person approached was comedian John Mulaney.
One of the highlights of the 2024 show was John’s ‘Field of Dream’ bit while presenting the award for Best Sound. Plus, he also hosted the Governors Awards.
By all accounts, he was a shoe-in. But John turned the offer down, citing his tight schedule juggling so many different projects.
(Fingers crossed that means “Everybody’s in L.A.” is getting renewed by Netflix!)
So, the job goes to Conan, which is a big surprise, given how many other names were being tossed around.
Did Anyone Else Really Want To Host The Oscars?
In truth, the door was open for some incredible talent to step in and take the reins. Obvious choices were folks who have hosted the show before and could make a triumphant comeback.
Whoopi Goldberg is tied with Kimmel for the amount of times she’s hosted the show (again, that’s 4) and since she’s taking a break from The View anyway, she could’ve easily just extend the hiatus. (Plus she’s on ABC, so, you know – synergy!)
We could’ve also turned to Ellen DeGeneres. She claims she’s leaving Hollywood for good after her current stand up tour. What better farewell than doing the ultimate stand up gig in Hollywood! Plus, her icon selfie could use an update.
However, there are some other names that were tossed around – and we were the ones doing the tossing. These were out picks – no offense to Conan! We’re sure he’ll do great!
Hugh Jackman Front Runner To Host Oscars 2025, Along With Ryan Reynolds
Hugh hosted the Oscars before back in 2009 and it remains one of the most beloved openings in the show’s history. Plus, he was in the biggest blockbuster of the year as one half of Deadpool and Wolverine. Checks a lot of boxes. Maybe this time though, he’ll trade in Beyonce for Taylor Swift to perform with him! (No shade towards Bey, just would like to see Taylor at the just like ONE TIME, you know!)
In fact, the rumor from Deadline is the plan is to definitely include both Hugh and Ryan as part of a star ensemble of rotating hosts. But honestly, that might be too confusing. Best to just stick with the idea of them together or Hugh solo.
And it sounds like Ryan would like to do it!
“The Oscars, yes. This is something I really genuinely would love to do with Hugh,” he told Deadline.
“Yeah, we hosted Kimmel together, but we also had just kind of hit, ‘f**k it’ at that point, we were at the end of a long tour. We traveled in every country all over the world, and enjoyed every second of it. And we go to Kimmel, we didn’t even remember the schedule, (as it was) so intense on the tour like that. So we got to Kimmel, and we just got loose. And it was, I thought, kind of an interesting way to host it. It feels like those old AFI dinners where everybody would get up there, they go from decades and decades ago all the way up to present day. And they look like what you sort of hope the Oscars could feel like, right? A bit of a roast, a bit of a loose kind of enjoyable experience. And, you know it’s getting harder and harder out there, I think, for telecasts like that to kind of exist, it’s tricky. So, one day I’d love to do that, I don’t know about this year, but one day, yeah.”
Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig Would Be A Dream Team
Tina Fey and Amy Poeler with the dream team of the 2010’s, let’s give it to these two FINALLY. The present together all of the time and their bits are always talked about the next morning. Plus, lest us not forget that Maya will be wrapping up guest appearing as Kamala Harris on SNL for the 2024 election. She’ll be available! (Apple+ – clear their schedules!)
Having said that, Amy Poehler’s name is being tossed around as a solo host, according to Deadline. She was in the biggest animated movie of the year (Inside Out 2) and she’s more than proven she’s a competent host. But without Tina? Do we all really want that?
Chris Rock: A Triumphant Return?
Think of the headlines! Chris Rock hosted in 2005 and 2016, and is as popular as ever, But it would be a massive deal to get him to return to the scene of the crime. Meaning, it would be his first time back to the Oscars since he was shockingly slapped by Will Smith while presenting an award in 2022.
Billy Crystal Is Our Top Choice
The only person to host the Oscars more times than Billy Crystal (9) is Bob Hope (19). And frankly, no one has done it better than Billy. He’s a true showman. Funny. Musical. Political at just the right times. And 9 is just such an odd number. Give the man a nice even 10. Plus, it feels like we need a legend to step in this year. Someone who won’t settle for anything less than a show stopping opening everyone will be talking about the next day! Now, there is talk that he’s too “old” for the gig. Nonsense! You know who the best guest host of SNL has been in the last 20 years? Betty White. And she was well into her 80s by that time!
