Well, they actually did it. After months of scrambling, the Academy finally found one soul brave enough to step up and do the job no one seemed to want to do: hosting the Oscars. Incumbent host Jimmy Kimmel abdicated the post after two consecutive years (and four times hosting overall). John Mulaney said no. Ryan Reynolds was too busy and too anxious. But thankfully for movie-lovers (and sleepless Oscar planning committees) everywhere, Conan O’Brien was game. “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” he said in a true-to-form statement, via Variety. “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.” We can expect more quips like this during the ceremony on March 25.
“We are thrilled and honored to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint (and no doubt very relieved) statement. “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 their own statement, executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan added, “Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host—he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television.”
This will be O’Brien’s first time hosting. He joins other late-night names that have held the post before, including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and of course, Kimmel. But how about that Cheesy Chalupa Supreme, huh?
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