Conan O’Brien reflected on preparing to host the Oscars for the first time amid the  Los Angeles fires that have ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena.

While some initially feared the ceremony would be delayed, after the Academy postponed announcing the nominations twice, the host, 61, spoke about pushing forward and keeping the tragedy in mind while producing the show. 

‘L.A. has just been through this traumatic experience,’ he said on Good Morning America. ‘There’s a lot that’s happening nationally that people are very tense about and it changes day to day. And so my job right now with my writers is to create possibilities.’ 

The Emmy-winning television host continued: ‘That’s what we’re doing. We’re working hard to create possibilities. And then I don’t know, I think we’re going to have to get very close to the actual air date to figure out.’ 

O’Brien also noted that his longtime ᴀssistant lost her Altadena home in the fires, which have killed 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. 

‘There’s a misconception sometimes that, oh, some rich people lost their homes… This is something that touched everybody, regardless of your income,’ he said. 

Conan O’Brien reflected on preparing to host the Oscars for the first time amid the Los Angeles fires that have ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena

O’Brien, whose home survived the blaze after he was forced to evacuate, also detailed his mindset tackling his upcoming gig during his chat with Chris Connelly. 

‘We polled America. I spent a lot of my own money polling Americans and saying, “Would you like to see Conan O’Brien sing and dance?” Shocking response,’ he said. ‘People don’t want it, which means they’ll probably try and do it. I like to be an irritant.’

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He went on to say: ‘Let’s just say there are many possibilities. There are many possibilities. And like I say, we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens as we get closer. And my involvement in the show could expand, it could contract. It’ll all depend on where we are then.’ 

The star, who has hosted a number of other awards shows and TV specials, including the Emmy Awards and White House Correspondents’ dinner, joked that audiences that ‘like close up magic tricks’ will ‘be very happy with’ his Oscars performance.

Since wrapping his talk show, Conan, three years ago, Since wrapping his talk show, Conan, three years ago, O’Brien said he’s been aiming to sau ‘yes’ to more things, like hosting the Oscars.

‘It’s been three years since I stopped doing my late night show and I’ve been saying yes to things. It’s been this time of yes,’ he explained. ‘So I did an independent film at Sundance. I headlined at the Newport Folk Festival. I’m just saying yes to things that I wouldn’t have done before.’ 

O’Brien, then, quipped: ‘I’m a black belt in karate now. I’m a licensed neurosurgeon. I mean, there are all these things I’m doing now that I didn’t think I would ever do before.’ 

The father-of-two, who is married to Liza Powel O’Brien, teased he planned on going after the celebrities in the audience ‘that have personally been cruel’ to him over the years.

While some initially feared the ceremony would be delayed, after the Academy postponed announcing the nominations twice, the host, 61, spoke about pushing forward and keeping the tragedy in mind while producing the show

‘L.A. has just been through this traumatic experience,’ he said on Good Morning America . ‘There’s a lot that’s happening nationally that people are very tense about and it changes day to day. And so my job right now with my writers is to create possibilities’

He also joked that he would be ‘paying people to create moments’ and call him ‘a genius.’ 

O’Brien is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows Late Night with Conan O´Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O´Brien and Conan. 

Before his TV hosting career, O’Brien was a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons.

In November, Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group, said in a statement: ‘He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have served in this role, and we are so lucky to have him center stage for the Oscars.’ 

Conan O’Brien will host the 97th Academy Awards in 2025

O’Brien joins the list of Oscar hosts that includes Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris.

Jimmy Kimmel previously hosted the Oscars in 2017, 2018, 2023, and 2024, but earlier this year said he wouldn’t be doing it in 2025. 

‘I just decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year,’ he said on the Politickin’ podcast.

‘It was just too much last year. You wind up pushing everything off till after the Oscars, and then you have to do everything you promised to do after the Oscars, after the Oscars. I did two years [2017 and 2018], it went well.

‘I did another two years [2023 and 2024], it went well. I figured I’d take a little break.’

The 97th Academy Awards will air live on ABC and Hulu on March 2 at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. PST.