{"id":715830,"date":"2026-03-09T16:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T13:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/conan-obrien-the-2026-oscars-interview\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T16:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T13:10:11","slug":"conan-obrien-the-2026-oscars-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/conan-obrien-the-2026-oscars-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Conan O&#8217;Brien, The 2026 Oscars Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tConan O\u2019Brien made me promise not to repeat the joke. Should it survive long enough to make the cut for his Oscars monologue, he understandably doesn\u2019t want the punchline spoiled. \u201cIt\u2019s like this little baby bird that I\u2019m cradling,\u201d he says, cupping empty palms as if they could protect the words from his own merciless edits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tWe\u2019re backstage at Largo, the Los Angeles comedy club, and O\u2019Brien just delivered 20 minutes of the material he\u2019s been honing for three months. The surprise set is one of several he\u2019ll make as he workshops his way through the Southland in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach of his March 15 engagement hosting the Academy Awards. Each performance follows a day largely spent in the writers room. If he biffs it on the big night, it will not be for a lack of preparation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   alignleft size-thr-medium alignleft lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:335px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((435\/335)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/6cov_Conan_lores.jpg?w=335\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"435\" width=\"335\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tJoined by five of his writers, two of whom were planted in the audience, O\u2019Brien and company debate what landed the way they thought it might, what could play better with the industry crowd inside the Dolby Theatre versus the TV audience and, at least as I imagine it after I\u2019ve left them, what surgical adjustments will be made before the next trial run. \u201cI get obsessive,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cI want to turn it off, but I can\u2019t. That\u2019s not always a fun ride, but that\u2019s the deal. At 62, I understand it. I tell my daughter, \u2018You have to know your own owner\u2019s manual.\u2019 I now know the Conan Owner\u2019s Manual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tO\u2019Brien\u2019s first go at the Oscars, in 2025, was quite well-received. He signed on for his encore two weeks later. \u201cI don\u2019t watch a lot of those things, but I just remember thinking, \u2018Is this the greatest Oscars ever?&#8217;\u201d says John Mulaney. \u201cConan is a true artist and an incredible broadcaster. He\u2019s also got one thing that you cannot fake and can only earn, which is stature.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1500\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/001_GA_260217_0144.2-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"1500\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Tom Ford robe; Ralph Lauren scarf; Fleur du Mal pajama pants;<br \/>\nJacques Marie Mage sunglasses; O\u2019Brien\u2019s Rolex watch; Doucal\u2019s slippers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAny live telecast is a flirtation with disaster. Electing to run this particular gauntlet could justifiably be interpreted as masochism \u2014 especially for O\u2019Brien. In a career where he was so often positioned as the underdog, there is little doubt that he\u2019s summiting the height of his powers. Retiring in 2021 from late night, a sector of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> currently in dramatic free fall, he now looks like a prophet. He\u2019s got a wildly successful podcast, one that landed him a $150 million deal at SiriusXM, and an Emmy-winning <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> show. He\u2019s taking opportunities he never had before, and playing very against type, appearing opposite Rose Byrne in Mary Bronstein\u2019s harrowing dramedy <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>. He has the respect of his peers; a wife, Liza, he speaks of with such admiration; and two children who\u2019ve grown into young adults he proudly describes as good people. And while he sometimes might wish for a smaller profile \u2014 in December, O\u2019Brien\u2019s name was tacked onto horrific headlines when friends Rob and Michele Reiner were murdered the morning after attending his holiday party \u2014 he seems truly content with how his life and career have shaken out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSo why the hell is he tempting fate by taking the most thankless gig in Hollywood? Again?<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cWhen the first offer came in, I told him, \u2018You don\u2019t need to do this, you\u2019ve got nothing to prove,\u2019 \u201d says Jeff Ross, O\u2019Brien\u2019s close friend and executive producer through all three iterations of his tenure as a talk show host. \u201cWhen we quit late night, the goal was to only do things that are fun, things that we want to do. Well, this is what Conan wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tHis HBO Max travelogue, <em>Conan O\u2019Brien Must Go<\/em>, is aptly titled. O\u2019Brien claims to have little control over these choices, at least where his career is concerned. \u201cThere\u2019s a little bearded Viking inside me,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cHe\u2019s been there since I was 10 years old. And when that Viking decides on something \u2014 whether it\u2019s replacing David Letterman with no experience, skiing some advanced slope I have no business going down or hosting the Oscars, that\u2019s what\u2019s going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t*** <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThis Viking apparently does not consider how its decisions impact O\u2019Brien\u2019s mental health. His onscreen penchant for self-flagellation is more than a bit. He agonizes over a lot, his material most of all. Despite filming 4,380 episodes of late night TV \u2014 first with <em>Late Night <\/em>and, briefly, <em>The Tonight Show<\/em>, both at NBC, before finishing with a decade of TBS\u2019 <em>Conan<\/em> \u2014 he greets each opportunity to speak in public with fresh enthusiasm and a fair amount of dread.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tWe\u2019re talking at Team Coco\u2019s Hancock Park headquarters during a break from the Oscar war room. In between pulls of an Erewhon Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, the beverage named after Hailey Bieber, he explains how hard he toils over every performance. The only thing harder on him is not having the time to toil, like when he recently arrived at a friend\u2019s birthday party to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> that there would be speeches and his was the closer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cI started to go into a bit of a panic,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cThis isn\u2019t televised. No one\u2019s recording it. There\u2019s a bunch of people in the room I don\u2019t even know. So what\u2019s the fucking problem?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tHe retreated into his head, thinking about what to say, editing and amending his unscheduled set in real time as he heard the other remarks. Once he was on deck, he stole away to the back of the room and stretched his cartoonishly tall frame to psych himself up before taking the stage. He says he did a good job. He probably killed. O\u2019Brien does not recall what he came up with \u2014 the memory of most bits, he says, leaves him almost as soon as they materialize \u2014 but he can vividly summon what happened next: \u201cI sat down, and this older woman across the table looks at me and says, \u2018That took a lot out of you.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAt first, he took offense. \u201cExcuse me?\u201d he asked. \u201cThen she goes, \u2018I was watching what you put yourself through, and it takes a lot out of you.\u2019 It meant so much to me that she noticed. There\u2019s this illusion that comics just get up and do these things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSuch acknowledgements seem to mean a great deal to O\u2019Brien, at least in part because they eluded him earlier in his career. Writing jobs on <em>Saturday Night Live <\/em>and <em>The Simpsons <\/em>were executed in obscurity. He describes initial reviews of<em> Late Night<\/em>, the job he took over from Letterman when he was still a virtual unknown, as universally negative. Even after things were up and running, he says his idea of funny was never the same as his bosses\u2019 at NBC. What he did not realize for more than a decade was that a legion, some of whom would grow up to be the most influential comedians and actors of today, were watching with rapt devotion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((667\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/004_GA_260217_0038.10-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"667\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Fleur du Mal robe; Brooks Brothers tux shirt, tie. Ladies\u2019 outfits, stylist\u2019s own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAt 13, Mulaney staged a jailbreak from a sleepover because his friends didn\u2019t want to watch <em>Late Night<\/em>. It was 1996, a Friday, and a promo had teased resolution to the weeks-long bit about O\u2019Brien\u2019s efforts to track down <em>Sanford and Son<\/em> actor Whitman Mayo. Mulaney, just before midnight, sprinted down Chicago\u2019s Burling Street and made it home in time to watch aerial footage of Mayo arrive by limousine at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and walk onto Studio 6A.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tToday, Mulaney is part of O\u2019Brien\u2019s extended social circle. It\u2019s a status he speaks about with a bit of wonder. \u201cSimon Rich and I went to Conan\u2019s for dinner once, and we couldn\u2019t believe it was just the two of us there,\u201d says Mulaney. \u201cConan built a fire. I think the flue was closed, because the room fills with smoke and he\u2019s trying to open a window and it becomes clear to us that he doesn\u2019t know how his house works. We\u2019re just sitting there like that meme of the dog in the house on fire, so happy to be in his presence. Liza came down and said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you guys go in another room?\u2019 I thought to myself, \u2018I\u2019m never getting out of this chair. I\u2019ll happily run out of oxygen.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tMulaney was among the O\u2019Brien disciples and contemporaries to grace the Kennedy Center when he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2025, back when that venue and honor still existed. For two hours, the man who can barely utter three sentences without saying something horrible about himself watched the comedy elite wax in adoration and play clips of his career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cI was dreading that night, but I loved it,\u201d says O\u2019Brien, who sat in the box tier flanked by Liza, his daughter, Neve, and his son, Beckett. \u201cI loved it because there wasn\u2019t a person on that stage who didn\u2019t mean a lot to me. And, yeah, they said sweet things, but there was a lot of really funny stuff in there. I was laughing the whole night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe people around O\u2019Brien pursue his laughs like they\u2019re white truffles. Among the quickest ways to get one is to pitch a stinker. Mike Sweeney was his head writer for years. He directs <em>Conan O\u2019Brien Must Go<\/em>. And he\u2019s returned as an Oscar writer. If anybody knows O\u2019Brien\u2019s tell when an idea tanks, it\u2019s him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cHis tell?\u201d Sweeney repeats, laughing. \u201cHis tell is that he mocks it mercilessly for at least five minutes. He\u2019s most delighted in rehearsal when things go wrong or they\u2019re just bad. It\u2019s like delivering fresh meat to the lion\u2019s cage. And if it\u2019s your bit that\u2019s getting eviscerated, you\u2019re laughing as hard as anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1250\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/005_GA_260217_0065.4-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"1250\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Paul Smith roll neck sweater, tux pants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThis description, as Sweeney predicts, pleases O\u2019Brien. \u201cSome artists work in oil, some work in clay,\u201d he says. \u201cI am a Picasso at wild passive aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tOn paper, this could paint O\u2019Brien as a bit of a dick. So very many comics are. But O\u2019Brien has never found comedy (or pleasure) in being mean. Plenty of people on his staff have stuck with him for more than 20 or even 30 years, and many speak about him with as much protectiveness as they do reverence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSona Movsesian started working for O\u2019Brien in 2009, first as his personal assistant. Now the co-host of his podcast, <em>Conan O\u2019Brien Needs a Friend<\/em>, she is best known for endlessly roasting him. \u201cOnce you make fun of your boss and he doesn\u2019t fire you, it gives you license to make a thousand jokes about your boss, and now that\u2019s my livelihood,\u201d says Movsesian. \u201cBut I\u2019d be here either way. If you start working for Conan, that\u2019s your job for the rest of your life. If you\u2019re lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t***<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe last time I was in O\u2019Brien\u2019s office was early 2024. He was about to record <em>Hot Ones<\/em>, the Sean Evans-hosted YouTube show where celebrities subject themselves to interviews while eating increasingly spicy chicken, and I remember him giddily describing his plan to bring along writer Jos\u00e9 Arroyo to pretend to be a doctor and check his vitals. We discussed late night TV\u2019s steady decline, and he was not bullish on that front. But he wasn\u2019t quite ready to wave the white flag. Then, in April, <em>Hot Ones <\/em>dropped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tTwenty-seven minutes of O\u2019Brien going absolutely feral as the wings got spicier and spicier, more pop performance art than comedy, hijacked the news cycle. His name was so inescapable on social media that some friends initially worried he\u2019d died. The episode has since logged more than 15 million views on YouTube alone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cThat was the moment the scales fell from my eyes,\u201d he says. \u201cIf a guy can do World <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a> numbers with overhead that looked, to me, to be about $600, and you have every big star lining up to do his show or <em>Chicken Shop Date<\/em> \u2026 that\u2019s when I profoundly understood that late night shows are in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cTrouble\u201d is generous. CBS announced its full retreat in July, canceling <em>The Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em> in what it called \u201cpurely a financial decision.\u201d But most observers linked the decision to Colbert\u2019s criticism of Donald Trump and CBS owner Paramount\u2019s desire to move along regulatory approvals for its sale to David Ellison\u2019s Skydance Media. In September, Disney pulled<em> Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> from the air when the host\u2019s muddled comment about slain MAGA provocateur Charlie Kirk drew the ire of Trump\u2019s FCC. Industry outcry was immediate. Kimmel was back on air a week later, but fears about government interference and free speech linger. Hollywood consolidation only compounds these anxieties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cI\u2019m of the mind that yes, these shows are going away and will become something else,\u201d says O\u2019Brien, whose own material has never been overtly political. \u201cBut I don\u2019t like when other malign forces intervene, because they\u2019re trying to curry favor. That pisses me off.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1500\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/002_GA_260217_0051.5-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"1500\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Paul Smith suit, shirt, tie; O\u2019Brien\u2019s own Rolex watch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFor the better part of the past year, O\u2019Brien has tried to be an optimistic voice for Colbert. \u201cConan is the patron saint of ex-talk show hosts,\u201d says Colbert, who watched with curiosity, alongside his shrinking fraternity, as O\u2019Brien remade his career. \u201cHe\u2019d actually been telling me to quit for years. We were out, a few Emmys ago, and he kept saying, \u2018I want you to know there\u2019s a lot of fun to be had when this is over, so don\u2019t feel like you need to stay.\u2019 It almost hurt my feelings, but he was just being kind. He Dutch uncle\u2019d me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tO\u2019Brien\u2019s words likely hold more water with Colbert because he once saw his own employment drama make international news. NBC\u2019s botched <em>Tonight Show<\/em> succession, during the 2009-10 season, ended in the network returning the time slot to Jay Leno and O\u2019Brien walking away from his dream job. As soon as his media gag order expired, he broke his silence on <em>60 Minutes<\/em>. He\u2019d wrapped a successful stand-up tour. He was about to launch his cable show. The public was on O\u2019Brien\u2019s side, and there was the not-insignificant $30 million payout from NBC. It was meant to be a victory lap. But the interview footage shows O\u2019Brien as staid and forlorn as you\u2019re likely to ever see him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s that Catholic thing, where you never want to admit that something\u2019s painful,\u201d O\u2019Brien says. \u201cI went so far in the other direction and acted like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. And I did get to do all of this great stuff, but it\u2019s clear to me now that I was profoundly depressed and angry for a couple of years. I made the mistake of trying to bypass that part. I thought I was fooling myself, and I now see that I wasn\u2019t fooling anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tO\u2019Brien may have been burned by late night, but he also devoted most of his career to it. Like any good Boston boy, he finds an anecdote about the Red Sox to articulate his complicated feelings about its inevitable demise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cTed Williams is a god in Boston,\u201d O\u2019Brien says of the Splendid Splinter, \u201cand right before he died, they wheeled him out at Fenway Park. There\u2019d been this rumor that they might build a new stadium, so somebody puts a microphone in his face and says, \u2018Mr. Williams, they may build a new park. How do you feel about that?\u2019 Everyone is expecting him to say, \u2018My God, this can\u2019t happen to this green temple to baseball.\u2019 Instead, he says, \u2018Tear it down.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cI try not to get sentimental about change,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere are no good old days. There is only change.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1500\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/003_GA_260217_0421.5-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"1500\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Thom Sweeney tux suit. Brooks Brothers tux shirt, tie.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t***<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tA strong rational for asking O\u2019Brien to host the Oscars is that, like Kimmel, he\u2019s of a rare class that can put an intimidating room like that at ease. His Hollywood friends and acquaintances are many, as evidenced by his annual holiday party attended by the likes of Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, Adam Sandler and Martin Short. Jason Bateman once openly campaigned for an invite on his <em>SmartLess<\/em> podcast. But this year\u2019s party was plastered all over the news when friends of the O\u2019Briens, Rob and Michele Reiner, were found murdered in their home the next day. Their son Nick, who attended the party with his parents, is charged with their murder and awaiting trial. On Feb. 23, he pled not guilty. It is a nightmare scenario for any family, one compounded by the Reiners\u2019 countless close relationships and reputations for good works.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tTheir loss is something O\u2019Brien chose not to address on his podcast, telling me that the idea of bringing it up in his own forum felt disrespectful. When he was finally asked about the Reiners during a February recording of <em>The New Yorker Radio Hour<\/em>, he said that he\u2019d been in shock for some time. He did not talk about the fact that he essentially became a cultural bystander in the media firestorm that followed. When I ask him how he and his wife have processed their association with something so brutal, a question he expected, he summons an answer he\u2019s obviously given great thought to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cVery simply, we had a party, we invited our really good friends and then, the next day, this terrible thing happened,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cWhatever difficulties my wife and I have experienced having our name attached to it are nothing compared to the scale of the tragedy for the family and the loss of Rob and Michele. If you\u2019re a known person, your name is going to get dragged into things sometimes, but it is not a hardship. There is only sadness that they\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tO\u2019Brien openly worries he\u2019s reached the point in life where loss is now a constant. In December 2024, Thomas O\u2019Brien, 95, and Ruth O\u2019Brien, 92, died three days apart on the eve of what would prove to be one of the most monumental years of their son\u2019s career. \u201cThe beginning of my life in comedy is not The Groundlings or Lorne Michaels,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cThose are important parts, but the beginning, my nuclear fuel, was seeing that I could make my parents laugh. I used to get a huge dopamine hit from just telling my parents good news. \u2018Guess what? We just got picked up, I\u2019m not canceled yet,\u2019 or \u2018Guess what? I won an Emmy.\u2019 When they died, I did have a moment of, \u2018What now?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFor all of the joy he got during his evening at the Kennedy Center, the thought did cross his mind later that night that perhaps he\u2019d reached the point in his career where he could, as he puts it, step off the boat. \u201cI don\u2019t know what that means,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m not going to go into the woods, get a little kiln and make pots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSuch musings never last long. O\u2019Brien knows that, inevitably, another interesting offer will come along and that the Viking will say yes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<em>This story appears in the March 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/subscriptions.hollywoodreporter.com\/site\/thr-subscribe\">Click here to subscribe<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1000px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1250\/1000)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/003_GA_260217_0221.4-EMBED-2026.jpg?w=1000\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"1250\" width=\"1000\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\">Thom Sweeney tux suit. Brooks Brothers tux shirt, tie; O\u2019Brien\u2019s own<br \/>Rolex watch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Photographed by Guy Aroch<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/conan-obrien-interview-oscars-2026-1236523430\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conan O\u2019Brien made me promise not to repeat the joke. Should it survive long enough to make the cut for his Oscars monologue, he understandably doesn\u2019t want the punchline spoiled. \u201cIt\u2019s like this little baby bird that I\u2019m cradling,\u201d he says, cupping empty palms as if they could protect the words from his own merciless&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":715831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/002_GA_260217_0370.7-SPLASH-2026.jpg?w=1440&h=810&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[29599,161004,5519,16212,104797,25023,156260,135198],"class_list":["post-715830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-academy-awards","tag-academy-awards-2026","tag-awards","tag-conan-obrien","tag-cover-story","tag-oscars","tag-oscars-2026","tag-thr-cover-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=715830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/715831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}