Late-night comedy host Conan O'Brien will headline the next Academy Awards, one year after comedian Jimmy Kimmel was tapped to host the annual show for the second time.
“America demanded it, and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheese Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars,” O'Brien said in a statement Friday. said.
This will be his first time hosting the Oscars, but he has hosted other high-profile awards shows, including the 2002 and 2006 Emmy Awards and the 1995 and 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The Oscar ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC on March 2nd.
According to the Associated Press, O'Brien joins a list of Oscar hosts that includes Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris. will be added.
“He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have played this role, and we are thrilled to bring him to the center stage at the Oscars,” said Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group. I'm very lucky.''
It may be argued that past lineups have been stellar, but judging by plummeting viewership numbers, the Academy Awards is in dire need of a new presence.
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Breitbart News, via John Nolte, pointed out that the most recent Academy Awards had just 19.5 million viewers, making it the fourth-lowest audience in Oscar history.
He writes: “The facts are true, but just 10 years ago, in 2014the Oscars telecast drew 43.7 million viewers. Five years ago, in 2019, 30 million people watched it.
“But please celebrate the fact that 19.5 million people also care about the fact that the Oscars are losing young viewers. And also, here's how entertainment media is becoming a prankster.” Turn it:
The 96th Academy Awards telecast reached a four-year high in total viewers, up 4% from the 18.8 million who watched Sunday night's 2023 telecast. Last year's broadcast saw a 13% increase in total viewers compared to the previous year. In 2022, the awards attracted 16.7 million viewers. This year's show also earned a 3.81 rating among adults 18-49.
O'Brien left late-night television in 2021 and has since led the podcast “Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend” and the spinoff travel show “Conan O'Brien Must Go” on the Max streaming service.
