1963–present
Latest News: Conan O’Brien Will Host the 2025 Oscars
Conan O’Brien is set to host the 97th Academy Awards on March 2. Just after the official announcement was made on November 15the Emmy Award–winning comedian and talk show host joked about his new gig on X (previously Twitter). “America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” he wrote. “In other newsI’m hosting the Oscars.”
This will be O’Brien’s first time hosting the Oscarswhich was most recently emceed by fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Known for his self-deprecating sense of humorO’Brien has decades worth of live broadcast experience under his belthaving hosted late-night shows for more than 25 years.
To prepare for the coveted hosting gigthe 61-year-old brought in 10 of his own writers to try out material for the showbut according to the comediannothing is set in stone. “I’m leaving every possibility on the table,” he told The New York Times on February 27. “I have choices right nowand we’ll see what happens.” What O’Brien did sharehoweverwas that he will be “threading the needle” when it comes to political jokes and that he’s “going to look amazing.”
“I think the surprise for America ispeople are going to look at this and saythat’s one of the most attractive men alive,” he joked.
Who Is Conan O’Brien?
Conan O’Brien is a five-time Emmy Award–winning writer and comedian best known for hosting the late-night shows Late Night with Conan O’BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O’Brienand Conan. Before his 28-year stint on late-night TVthe Massachusetts native got his start as a writer on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. After just four years of comedy writing and producingO’Brien made his big onscreen debut in 1993 when he was chosen to replace David Letterman on Late Night. In 2018he began transitioning out of late-night TV and started hosting the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. His successful run of Conan ended three years later. O’Brien is currently starring in the comedic travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go and is set to host the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Conan Christopher O’Brien
BORN: April 181963
BIRTHPLACE: BrooklineMassachusetts
SPOUSE: Liza Powel O’Brien (2002–present)
CHILDREN: Neve and Beckett
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries
Young Conan O’Brien: Family and Siblings
Conan Christopher O’Brien was born on April 181963in BrooklineMassachusetts. His fatherThomas O’Brienwas a noted epidemiologist during his career. Thomas served as the head of microbiology at Peter Brigham Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. Conan’s motherRuth Reardon O’Brienwas a partner at Ropes & Gray law firm outside Boston until her retirement in 1997.
The third of six childrenConan has three brothers and two sisters. His siblings are: Nealan antique car collector; Lukea lawyer; Justina business consultant; Katea teacher; and Janea scriptwriter.
Conan attended Harvard Universitywhere he majored in American History. He was twice elected as president of the revered parody magazine The Harvard Lampoon; the only other person to hold that distinction was humorist Robert Benchley in 1912. After graduationConan moved to Los Angeles and began writing for Not Necessarily the Newsan HBO series. He also performed with the famed improv group The Groundlings.
TV Writing
O’Brien began his career writing for the hit comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live in 1988. The following yearthe SNL writing staff won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in 1989. Some of O’Brien’s more memorable sketches were the “The Girl Watchers” (first performed by Tom Hanks and Jon Lovitz); an elevator ride featuring Sting alongside cast members Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey; and Mr. Short-Term Memory.
After ending his tenure at SNL in 1991O’Brien joined The Simpsons as a writer then supervising producer from 1992 to 1993. Of the episodes he wrotehe has said that his favorite is “Springfield Gets a Monorail.”
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
When late-night staple Johnny Carson announced he would retire from The Tonight Show in 1992both Jay Lenowho had been the permanent guest hostand David Lettermanwhose show Late Night followed Carson’swere considered as his successor. NBC chose Leno over Lettermanand Letterman left the network for CBSwhere his new late-night show would go head-to-head with Leno’s.
Countless personalities and comedians applied and auditioned for the coveted Late Night spot, and it was somewhat surprising when the unknown Conan O’Brien was introduced as the new host. Tall (6-feet 4-inches) and a bit ganglywith no previous experience in front of the cameraNBC’s choice was questionedcritiquedand ridiculed by some.
Despite initially struggling in the ratings—he was renewed at 13-week intervals until he proved himself—O’Brien persevered with his own of off-centerself-effacing comedyreminiscent of Letterman’s early days when he was establishing himself as a favorite of college students and the Generation X crowd. After four years on the airNBC finally gave O’Brien a lucrative five-year contract. In 2001 O’Brien formed his own television production companyConacowhich shared in the production credits for Late Night.
During his time as Late Night hostO’Brien pushed the envelope with his quirkycomedic stunts. In 2006he inadvertently invented a cult following after making a joke about an amorous manatee website. One year laterhe won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Program.
During the Writers Guild of America strike in 2008 Conan created his own series of material to fill the gap. His performances included a staged dispute with comedian Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and a stunt in which O’Brien ziplined through his audience to his anchor desk.
The Tonight Show
After Jay Leno’s contract expired in 2009O’Brien replaced him as host of The Tonight Show. Comedian Jimmy Fallon was chosen as O’Brien’s replacement on Late Nightand O’Brien moved to Tonight Show’s headquarters in California. A few months before O’Brien took the reins Leno renegotiated his contract with NBCmoving to a prime-time slot just before O’Brien’s show. When Leno’s program produced poor ratings the network attempted to shift the programming schedule.
O’Brienwho had only been on the show for seven monthsrefused to make the switch. “It was my mistaken belief thatlike my predecessorI would have the benefit of some time andjust as importantsome degree of ratings support from the primetime schedule,” he told his audience. O’Brien officially ended his contract with NBC in 2010 and moved onto his own late-night show.
Conan and More Shows
Following his short stint with The Tonight ShowO’Brien teamed up with TBS for Conan. The late-night show ran on the cable TV network for 11 successful seasons before ending in June 2021.
O’Brien also hosted the comedic travel show Conan Without Borders from 2015 to 2019which earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. Transitioning out of late-nighthe started the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend in 2018 and launched the podcast space Team Cocowhich produces several unscripted podcasts.
In 2024he starred in the Max travel show Conan O’Brien Must Gowhich earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Show. The series has been renewed for a second season.
ElsewhereO’Brien will host the 97th Oscars ceremony in March 2025.
Wife and Children
O’Brien met Liza Powelan advertising executivein 2000 when she appeared in a skit on Late Night. The two began dating anda year laterannounced their engagement. The couple married on January 122002in Seattle after which she became Liza Powel O’Brien. Conan and Liza have two children: Neve and Beckett.
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Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse Universitywhere she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new storyyou can find her readinghitting the gymor watching too much TV.
