Oscars Host Conan O’Brien Is Still Deciding on Tonal Approach After L.A. Fires: ‘It’s a Moving Target’

Conan O’Brien’s preparation for his upcoming hosting gig at the 2025 Academy Awards has become something of a waiting game. News of his hosting debut arrived in November, but the comedian found his process disrupted in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. As a comedian, he’s ready and willing to adapt to the moment — he just won’t know what exactly that feels like until the final hour.
“We’ve got all of our sensors out,” O’Brien told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. “I couldn’t tell you right now what the show is going to be. We have a million ideas, but which ones will we use? What’s going to be appropriate? What’s the right tone? Like I said, the tone might shift somewhat. You never know one way or the other. It’s a moving target.”
The Oscars will air live from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences postponed the announcement of this year’s nominees in the wake of the fires and extended the voting period. Earlier this week, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang shared a letter stating: “We will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.”
O’Brien note that while some people are responding to the fire discourse by “politicizing it and yelling about it,” at its core “it’s just a human tragedy.” Multiple prominent Hollywood figures lost their homes in the disaster, which also impacted crew members and talent who bring these films to life behind the scenes, not the mention the average people who spend time watching them. It all feels a bit close to home, O’Brien said.
“We see these all the time, all around the world in our television sets, and then we go back and eat our turkey burger that just got delivered. I happen to live in the city now where something like this has happened,” he explained. “We’re all taking a moment to try and absorb it, and as an entertainer, I need to try and figure out what’s the best way to respond to this? So we will figure that out over the next five weeks, and it’ll probably come together 45 minutes before the show.”
His tentative plan is to read the room. “I want to make sure that we do the show that meets the moment on March 2, and that we put a light on a lot of the people in LA that have been affected,” O’Brien continued. “That we are a mixture of sensitive, but also understanding, but also I hope uplifting that there’s some fun. It’s a crazy combination.”