Conan O’Brien will host the 98th Academy Awards, marking his second consecutive year leading the ceremony, ABC and Hulu announced Sunday. The awards will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood at 7 p.m. ET.
The announcement confirms O’Brien’s return after a successful 2025 hosting performance, which reportedly contributed to a five-year high in ratings for the telecast. O’Brien, a veteran comedian and talk show host, joked about adjusting his pre-show meal this year, opting for a lighter Japanese bento box instead of the “massive Italian meal” he consumed before hosting last year’s show, according to statements reported by The Theme Park Shark.
This year’s ceremony will feature a Florida connection with the nomination of “The Perfect Neighbor,” a Netflix documentary covering the 2023 shooting of Ajike “AJ” Owens by her neighbor, Susan Lorincz, in Ocala, Florida. The documentary is nominated in the “Documentary Feature Film” category and garnered 16.7 million views within its first three days of release in October 2025, according to reporting in Florida Today.
The 98th Academy Awards will be available to stream live on Hulu alongside its broadcast on ABC. Nominations for the awards were initially announced on January 22nd.
