Oscars host Conan O’Brien rolls out the red carpet for ‘most unpredictable’ awards race in years
Conan O’Brien reported for duty on Wednesday as he helped to roll out the red carpet ahead of Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards ceremony.
The 61-year-old comedian and talk show host stood tall for a salute as he joined workers setting up for the high-profile ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The beloved comic is making his debut as Oscars host after noting at a press conference the same day that he had ‘never even been invited’ before.
‘I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,’ he joked, according to USA Today.
Even though he was working up a bit of a sweat, O’Brien looked as dapper as ever in a dark suit, which he wore with a light-blue shirt and a tasteful navy tie with diagonal white stripes.
The former Simpsons writer also rocked a set of translucent amber-colored sunglasses that complemented his towering red hair.
Conan O’Brien, 61, reported for duty on Wednesday as he helped to roll out the red carpet ahead of Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards ceremony. The comedian stood tall for a salute as he joined workers setting up for the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood
The beloved comic is making his debut as Oscars host after noting at a press conference the same day that he had ‘never even been invited’ before
O’Brien couldn’t help but put on a show for photographers and reporters gathered to document the tradition.
At one point, he laid down on the thick roll of partially laid-out red carpet.
But after pitching a leg on the roll and saluting as if to claim the red carpet, he got down on his hands and knees to roll out the carpet with other workers.
During the press conference, O’Brien signaled he wouldn’t be avoiding political material at Sunday’s ceremony, but he also hoped to avoid any jokes that were overly divisive.
‘As the host, I cannot ignore the moment we’re in,’ he said. ‘But we’re threading the needle, and we have to remember what we’re celebrating and infuse the show with positivity. It’s a difficult line to walk, but I’m determined to figure it out.’
The show’s executive producer Raj Kapoor also noted the ceremony will feature ‘uplifting’ moments highlighting Los Angeles in the wake of the devastating fires that ripped through multiple neighborhoods through most of January.
O’Brien said he did his part to support the City of Angels by having his tuxedo for the night made at the esteemed LA High Society — even though he won’t get to keep the custom formal wear.
‘We wanted to do something that was from the community. It’s the nicest thing I have ever put on in my life,’ he said. ‘It has my name on the inside, but I’m still told I won’t be able to keep it.
‘I only agreed to host so that I could get invited,’ he joked, according to USA Today
Even though he was working up a bit of a sweat, O’Brien looked as dapper as ever in a dark suit, which he wore with a light-blue shirt and a tasteful navy tie with diagonal white stripes
O’Brien couldn’t help but put on a show for photographers and reporters gathered to document the tradition. At one point, he laid down on the thick roll of partially laid-out red carpet
The former Simpsons writer also rocked a set of translucent amber-colored sunglasses that complemented his towering red hair
But after pitching a leg on the roll and saluting as if to claim the red carpet, he got down on his hands and knees to roll out the carpet with other workers
During the press conference, O’Brien signaled he wouldn’t be avoiding political material at Sunday’s ceremony, but he also hoped to avoid any jokes that were overly divisive
The show’s executive producer Raj Kapoor also noted the ceremony will feature ‘uplifting’ moments highlighting Los Angeles in the wake of its devastating fires in January
‘I’m six-foot-four,’ he added. ‘Is John Tesh going to get it?’
O’Brien said he picked the brains of other Oscars hosts, including Billy Crystal, who has hosted the show nine times.
‘He’s the all-time great and mastered hosting the Oscars, in my opinion,’ Conan gushed.
He was less complimentary about last year’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted four times.
O’Brien joked that Kimmel talked him into going to an expensive seafood restaurant to chat, only to order expensive shell fish and skip out on the bill.
The former Tonight Show host is about to MC one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards ceremonies in recent memory.
This year’s ceremony has an unusually unsettled field in many of the most high-profile categories, including best picture and most of the acting categories.
Emilia Pérez leads the nominations this year with 13, including for best picture, actress (for Karla Sofía Gascón), supporting actress (for Zoe Saldaña), director (for Jacques Audiard), adapted screenplay and original song.
The former Tonight Show host is about to MC one of the most unpredictable Academy Awards ceremonies in recent memory. Emilia Pérez leads this year’s nominations with 13
The Brutalist landed in second place with 10 nominations, including for best picture, director (for Brady Corbet), actor (for Adrien Brody), supporting actor (for Guy Pearce), supporting actress (for Felicity Jones), and original screenplay
The Brutalist landed in second place with 10 nominations, including for best picture, director (for Brady Corbet), actor (for Adrien Brody), supporting actor (for Guy Pearce), supporting actress (for Felicity Jones), and original screenplay.
Wicked tied it for 10 nominations, including for best picture, actress (for Cynthia Erivo), and supporting actress (for Ariana Grande).
Other best pictures nominees include Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance.
The closely watched race for best actor in a leading role got a major shakeup just a week before the Oscars at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, when Timothée Chalamet scored a shock win for his Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
Prior to that win, Brody was seemingly the favorite after winning best actor awards at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Movie Awards.
Ralph Fiennes has also doggedly stayed in the running for his role as a British Cardinal struggling to keep a secretive papal election from dissolving into competition and intrigue.
The best actress category also has no clear frontrunner. Demi Moore has been lauded for her comeback performance in the satirical body-horror film The Substance, which earned her best actress honors from the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, as well as several critics’ organizations.
But her win a week before the Oscars at the SAG Awards suggests she may be in a prime spot to snatch the Oscar after being nominated for the first time.
Wicked tied it for 10 nominations, including for best picture, actress (for Cynthia Erivo), and supporting actress (for Ariana Grande)
This year’s best lead actor race is up in the air after Timothée Chalamet’s recent SAG win for A Complete Unknown
Brody is also a favorite for The Brutalist, but Ralph Fiennes has gotten plenty of awards-season attention for the papal-selection drama Conclave
Anora star Mikey Madison, who plays an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian Oligarch, was widely acclaimed and was honored by several critics’ organizations early in the season.
Her chances increased significantly after she won the BAFTA for best lead actress, which she followed up with an Independent Spirit Award win in the gender-neutral lead performance category.
Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón was once a favorite for the award, but she was widely criticized after racist and Islamophobic tweets — some quite recent — that had somehow gone unremarked upon were translated into English and reported on.
Since then, Gascón has sat out awards ceremonies after her posts came to light. After multiple half-hearted apologies, Netflix reportedly opted to stop paying for Gascón’s travel and accommodations for awards shows, though a source told People that she still plans to attend the Oscars.
Before the controversy, her nomination was seen as historic, as she is the first openly transgender woman to be nominated in the best actress category.
Saldaña appears to be the current favorite in the supporting actress category after a string of wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
But some of those early awards had voting periods that cut off prior to the controversy around Gascón surfacing, which could potentially harm her chances from voters who were turned off of Emilia Pérez altogether.
Among the best picture nominees, Emilia Pérez once seemed like the most likely winner, but Gascon’s offensive posts have threatened its chances.
Anora’s Mikey Madison is a late-breaking best actress co-frontrunner after recent wins and controversy that erupted after offensive tweets from Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón resurfaced
Demi Moore is the other major frontrunner for the satirical body-horror film The Substance. She has won multiple major awards this season
Saldaña appears to be the current favorite in the supporting actress category after a string of wins at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards
After Gascón’s offensive tweets surfaced, Emilia Pérez’s best picture frontrunner status seemed in question, and Anora has snatched up the top award at multiple ceremonies considered major predictors of the Oscars
The Palme d’Or–winning Anora got a late boost with wins for best picture at the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Producers Guild of America Awards.
Those ceremonies are considered two of the best predictors of Oscars success by awards-season prognosticators, and its win at the Independent Spirit Awards didn’t hurt.
The Academy Awards begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and can be watched on ABC and, for the first time, on a streaming service, Hulu.
Subscribers to premium services including Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV can also also catch the ceremony live.
Oscar nominations 2025 – see who received nods for this year’s Academy Awards
Best Picture
Wicked
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Perez
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked has received multiple Oscar nods, including one for Best Picture
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascon – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here
The Substance has been nominated for numerous Oscars, including Best Actress for Demi Moore
Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Directing
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Music (Original Song)
El Mal – Emilia Pérez
The Journey – The Six Triple Eight
Like A Bird – Sing Sing
Mi Camino – Emilia Pérez
Never Too Late – Elton John: Never Too Late
Emilia Pérez has also earned numerous nominations
Music (Original Score)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
Animated Feature Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
International Feature Film
I’m Still here
The Girl with the Needle
Emilia Pérez
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Flow
Cinematography
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria
Nosferatu
Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked
Dune: Part Two is competing for numerous Oscars
Costume Design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked
Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked
Animated Short Film
Beautiful Men
In The Shadow of The Cypress
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Live Action Short Film
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not A Robot
The Last Ranger
The An Who Could Not Remain Silent
Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
A Complete Unknown received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, among others
Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
Film Editing
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to Coup D’etat
Sugarcane
Documentary Short Film
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instrumenting of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
