The 98th Academy Awards kicked off tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and all eyes were on one man. Not a nominee. Not a presenter. The host. Conan O’Brien returned for his second straight year with a mission that goes beyond comedy: keep Hollywood’s biggest night from turning into a political battlefield.
Why This Year’s Oscars Feel Different
The last time the Academy Awards took place just after the U.S. had launched an attack on a country in the Middle East, it was 2003 and the war in Iraq shook the Oscars to its core. This time, the country is at war with Iran.1
Actors have made political statements this awards season with “ICE OUT” and “BE GOOD” pins at several red carpets, in response to fatal shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.2 As the Iran war rages on, the carpet could see more celebrities using their moment to address global turmoil.2
The political temperature in Hollywood right now is hotter than it has been in years. Security for the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre is tight, with organizers working closely with the FBI and Los Angeles police after a federal warning of a possible Iranian threat against California.3 The LAPD announced that roughly 1,000 private security officers would patrol the theatre, along with uniformed officers, surveillance cameras, and drones.4
Against this backdrop, one question loomed before the broadcast: would the ceremony celebrate movies, or become a megaphone for activism?
Conan O’Brien hosting 98th Academy Awards 2026 Dolby Theatre stage
Conan’s Tightrope Act Between Comedy and Politics
When asked about politics and whether Trump watching might factor into his show, O’Brien said his job is to “hit this very, very thin line between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities.” He called it “a dance that goes on up until the show begins.”5
That dance played out in real time tonight.
O’Brien opened his monologue with a jab at AI. “I am honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” he joked. “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”6
He then leaned into the night’s biggest laugh lines:
- On security: “Security is extremely tight. I’m told there’s a concern about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”6
- On the political mood: “I should warn you: tonight could get political. And if that makes you uncomfortable there’s an alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock. It’s at the Dave and Busters down the street.”6
- On Best Picture nominee Hamnet: “Shakespeare’s wife Agnes gives birth by herself in the woods, or as we call that here in America, affordable health care.”6
According to Yahoo’s Taryn Ryder, who was in attendance, the whole audience laughed at the ballet joke, including Chalamet and girlfriend Kylie Jenner.6
But then came the moment that separated O’Brien from the typical awards host. Later in the monologue, he turned earnest. “We pay tribute tonight not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today: optimism,” he said. “Let us celebrate not because we think all is well, but because we work and hope for better in the days ahead.”6
How O’Brien Earned the Right to Return
When O’Brien hosted the 97th Oscars on ABC and Hulu in 2025, critics said the comedian was at his “acerbic best.” And because he helped bring the telecast to a five-year ratings high, it should come as no surprise that he was asked back.7
Here is a look at recent Oscars viewership numbers that show the ratings climb:
| Year | Viewers (Millions) | Host |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10.4 | No traditional host |
| 2022 | 16.6 | Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, Regina Hall |
| 2023 | 18.7 | Jimmy Kimmel |
| 2024 | 19.5 | Jimmy Kimmel |
| 2025 | 19.69 | Conan O’Brien |
Ratings for the Oscars have surprisingly improved since 2021, despite the frequent doom and gloom seen online. Viewership dropped significantly from the 1990s, when it easily topped 40 to 55 million, but bottomed out at an all-time low of 10 million in 2021. Since then, the Oscars has steadily recovered.8
Academy CEO Bill Kramer and then-president Janet Yang called O’Brien “the perfect host, skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.” O’Brien, for his part, cracked that he returned because he wanted “to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”9
He revealed he spent about two months testing material in comedy clubs, showing up as a surprise at far-flung venues to see what lands. “You go out and you try jokes out, and you over time, you get a sense of these ones seem to consistently do well.”10
The Awards Race That Defined a Divided Hollywood
Tonight’s ceremony is more than a contest between films. It is a mirror reflecting Hollywood’s internal battles over race, art, and identity.
Sinners received 16 nominations, the most in Oscar history, surpassing the record of 14 shared by All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land. It also broke the record for most Black individuals nominated for a single film at ten.4
The event is setting up to be a fight between two Warner Bros. Discovery films: One Battle After Another and Sinners.11
This season’s debate has somehow managed to snowball into what has to be the most contentious online fight surrounding movies and the Oscars race in a good while. The film at the center of the storm is Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a horror flick starring Michael B. Jordan battling vampires and white supremacists in 1930s Mississippi.12
The Best Picture decision tonight will say something not just about film taste, but about what the Academy values in 2026.
The ceremony also masks the unease in the film business over where movies are being made, as studios chase tax incentives and lower costs elsewhere.3 Workers in front of and behind the camera are worried artificial intelligence will limit job opportunities and stifle creativity.3
What O’Brien Teaches Hollywood About Tone
There is a reason the Academy keeps bringing O’Brien back, and it goes beyond his sharp writing.
The Academy’s transition to O’Brien signals a move toward a more absurdist, high-energy comedic style that resonates across both traditional TV and the digital podcast generation.13
The Harvard Lampoon alumnus hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1993 to 2009, The Tonight Show from 2009 to 2010, and Conan from 2010 to 2021.13 His decades of live television experience give him something rare in today’s culture wars: the instinct to know when a joke lands and when a moment calls for silence.
PR expert Philip noted that over the last ten years, “the ceremony began to feel less like a celebration of storytelling and more like a political platform.” She added: “I miss when the focus was on the work, the performances, the directing, and the storytelling.”14
O’Brien seems to understand this. He pokes. He does not preach. He nods at the world’s chaos without climbing on a soapbox. Whether the presenters and winners follow his lead tonight remains an open question.
Amy Madigan won the first Oscar of the night for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the horror thriller Weapons, minutes after O’Brien kicked off the broadcast dressed as Madigan’s character.15
Despite complaints from certain quarters, awards shows, particularly the Oscars, rarely have more than one or two truly political moments.16 But filmmakers and actors may be bowing to pressure to keep their acceptance speeches grateful and celebratory, saving their outrage for social media.16
As the night unfolds at the Dolby Theatre, Conan O’Brien has already done his part. He made a room full of anxious millionaires laugh. He tipped his hat to the world’s pain without drowning the audience in it. And he reminded everyone watching that movies, at their core, exist to bring people together, not push them apart. In a year of war, division, and industry turmoil, that might be the bravest act of all. Tell us what you think. Did O’Brien strike the right balance tonight? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
