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 15, the 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 news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”
This will be O’Brien’s first time hosting the Oscars, which was most recently emceed by fellow comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Known for his self-deprecating sense of humor, O’Brien has decades worth of live broadcast experience under his belt, having hosted late-night shows for more than 25 years.
To prepare for the coveted hosting gig, the 61-year-old brought in 10 of his own writers to try out material for the show, but according to the comedian, nothing 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 now, and we’ll see what happens.” What O’Brien did share, however, was 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 is, people are going to look at this and say, that’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’Brien, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and Conan. Before his 28-year stint on late-night TV, the Massachusetts native got his start as a writer on Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. After just four years of comedy writing and producing, O’Brien made his big onscreen debut in 1993 when he was chosen to replace David Letterman on Late Night. In 2018, he 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 18, 1963
BIRTHPLACE: Brookline, Massachusetts
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 18, 1963, in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father, Thomas O’Brien, was 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 mother, Ruth Reardon O’Brien, was a partner at Ropes & Gray law firm outside Boston until her retirement in 1997.
The third of six children, Conan has three brothers and two sisters. His siblings are: Neal, an antique car collector; Luke, a lawyer; Justin, a business consultant; Kate, a teacher; and Jane, a scriptwriter.
Conan attended Harvard University, where 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 graduation, Conan moved to Los Angeles and began writing for Not Necessarily the News, an 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 year, the 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 1991, O’Brien joined The Simpsons as a writer then supervising producer, from 1992 to 1993. Of the episodes he wrote, he 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 1992, both Jay Leno, who had been the permanent guest host, and David Letterman, whose show Late Night followed Carson’s, were considered as his successor. NBC chose Leno over Letterman, and Letterman left the network for CBS, where 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 gangly, with no previous experience in front of the camera, NBC’s choice was questioned, critiqued, and 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 style of off-center, self-effacing comedy, reminiscent 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 air, NBC finally gave O’Brien a lucrative five-year contract. In 2001, O’Brien formed his own television production company, Conaco, which shared in the production credits for Late Night.
During his time as Late Night host, O’Brien pushed the envelope with his quirky, comedic stunts. In 2006, he inadvertently invented a cult following after making a joke about an amorous manatee website. One year later, he 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 2009, O’Brien replaced him as host of The Tonight Show. Comedian Jimmy Fallon was chosen as O’Brien’s replacement on Late Night, and O’Brien moved to Tonight Show’s headquarters in California. A few months before O’Brien took the reins, Leno renegotiated his contract with NBC, moving 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’Brien, who had only been on the show for seven months, refused to make the switch. “It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some 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 Show, O’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 2019, which earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. Transitioning out of late-night, he started the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend in 2018 and launched the podcast space Team Coco, which produces several unscripted podcasts.
In 2024, he starred in the Max travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go, which earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Show. The series has been renewed for a second season.
Elsewhere, O’Brien will host the 97th Oscars ceremony in March 2025.
Wife and Children
O’Brien met Liza Powel, an advertising executive, in 2000 when she appeared in a skit on Late Night. The two began dating and, a year later, announced their engagement. The couple married on January 12, 2002, in 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 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
