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Conan O’Brien Will Return as Oscars Host in 2026

Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Conan O’Brien Will Return as Oscars Host in 2026

Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Conan O’Brien is returning to the Oscars stage in 2026. The late-night host and comedian will preside over the 98th Academy Awards, set for March 15, the film academy’s leadership said Monday.

“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” O’Brien said in a statement.

This year was O’Brien’s first time leading the show, which attracted its biggest broadcast audience in five years despite the winning movie, “Anora,” being relatively small. An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched the 97th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month, according to broadcaster ABC, with a big lift among people aged 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers. It was also the most watched prime-time entertainment show of 2025.

“Conan’s unique comedic style perfectly captured the moment, and I’m excited to have his talents back onstage next year to helm another indelible performance,” said Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, in a statement.

Next year O’Brien will also be surrounded by a familiar team, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning as executive producers of the show and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney as producers. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement that it’s an honor to be working again with the group behind this year’s broadcast.

“This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way,” Kramer and Yang said. “Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.”

The show also succeeded in social media metrics, outperforming both the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, according to Oscars organizers. This was the first time that the show was streamed live simultaneously on Hulu, which was not without its glitches.

The timing of the announcement of next year's hosting and producing teams — less than a month after this year's Oscars — is unusually early for the film academy and ABC.

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Entertainment

George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
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George Clooney, His Wife Amal and Their Children Obtain French Citizenship

Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)
Actor George Clooney and Amal Clooney host their annual fundraiser "The Albie Awards" in London, Britain, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, have obtained French citizenship, along with ​their two children, official French government documents show.

Clooney told broadcaster RTL earlier this month that it was essential for him and his wife that their eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella could live in a place where they had ‌a chance to ‌live a normal ‌life.

“Here, ⁠they ​don’t ‌take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he told RTL on December 2.

The couple purchased a house on a vineyard, with an estimated value ⁠of around 9 million euros ($10.59 million), in the southern ‌French town of Brignoles ‍in 2021.

The property ‍also includes a swimming pool and ‍a tennis court, according to French media.
"We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm ​where the kids can have fun," he said.

US film director Jim Jarmusch ⁠on Friday told France Inter radio that he would also make an application to obtain French citizenship.

"I would like to have another place to escape from America if necessary," he told France Inter.

"And France, and Paris, and French culture are very deep in me. So I think I would be very honored if I ‌could have a French passport," he said.

Entertainment

France Split over Bardot Tribute

Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
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France Split over Bardot Tribute

Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)
Portraits of late French actress Brigitte Bardot and flowers are displayed on barriers at the entrance of "La Madrague" house, property of late Brigitte Bardot in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France on December 28, 2025. (AFP)

French politicians were divided on Monday over how to pay tribute to the late Brigitte Bardot, who despite her screen legend courted controversy and convictions in later life with her far-right views.

The film star died on Sunday aged 91 at home in the south of France. Media around the globe splashed iconic images of her and tributes following the announcement.

Bardot shot to fame in 1956 and went on to appear in about 50 films, but turned her back on cinema in 1973 to throw herself into fighting for animal rights.

Her links to the far-right stirred controversy however.

Bardot was convicted five times for hate speech, mostly about Muslims, but also the inhabitants of the French island of Reunion whom she described as "savages".

She slipped away before dawn on Sunday morning with her fourth husband Bernard d'Ormale, a former adviser to the far right, by her side.

"She whispered a word of love to him ... and she was gone," Bruno Jacquelin, a representative of her foundation for animals, told BFM television.

- 'Cynicism' -

President Emmanuel Macron hailed the actor as a "legend" of the 20th century cinema who "embodied a life of freedom".

Far-right figures were among the first to mourn her.

Marine le Pen, whose National Rally party is riding high in polls called her "incredibly French: free, untamable, whole".

Bardot backed Le Pen for president in 2012 and 2017, and described her as a modern "Joan of Arc" she hoped could "save" France.

Conservative politician Eric Ciotti suggested a national farewell like one organized for French rock legend Johnny Hallyday who died in 2017.

He launched a petition online that had garnered just over 7,000 signatures on Monday.
But few left-wing politicians have spoken about Bardot's passing.

"Brigitte Bardot was a towering figure, a symbol of freedom, rebellion, and passion," Philippe Brun, a senior Socialist party deputy, told Europe 1 radio.

"We are sad she is gone," he said, adding he did not oppose a national homage.

But he did hint at her controversial political views.

"As for her political commitments, there will be time enough -- in the coming days and weeks -- to talk about them," he said.

Communist party leader Fabien Roussel called Bardot a divisive figure.

But "we all agree French cinema created BB and that she made it shine throughout the world," he wrote on X.

Greens lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau was more critical.

"To be moved by the fate of dolphins but remain indifferent to the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean -- what level of cynicism is that?" she quipped on BlueSky.

- Garden burial? -

Bardot said she wanted to be buried in her garden with a simple wooden cross above her grave -- just like for her animals -- and wanted to avoid "a crowd of idiots" at her funeral.

Such a burial is possible in France if local authorities grant permission.

Born on September 28, 1934 in Paris, Bardot was raised in a well-off traditional Catholic household.

Married four times, she had one child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, with her second husband, actor Jacques Charrier.

After quitting the cinema, Bardot withdrew to her home in the Saint-Tropez to devote herself to animal rights.

Her calling apparently came when she encountered a goat on the set of her final film, "The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot". To save it from being killed, she bought the animal and kept it in her hotel room.

"I'm very proud of the first chapter of my life," she told AFP in a 2024 interview ahead of her 90th birthday.

"It gave me fame, and that fame allows me to protect animals -- the only cause that truly matters to me."

Entertainment

Perry Bamonte, Keyboardist and Guitarist for The Cure, Dies at 65

Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Perry Bamonte, Keyboardist and Guitarist for The Cure, Dies at 65

Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
Perry Bamonte of The Cure performs at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater on May 20, 2023 in Chula Vista, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Perry Bamonte, keyboardist and guitarist in The Cure, has died at 65, the English indie rock band confirmed through their official website on Friday.

In a statement, the band wrote that Bamonte died "after a short illness at home" on Christmas Day.

"It is with enormous sadness that ‌we confirm ‌the death of our ‌great ⁠friend and ‌bandmate Perry Bamonte who passed away after a short illness at home over Christmas," the statement said, adding he was a "vital part of The Cure story."

The statement said Bamonte was ⁠a full-time member of The Cure since 1990, ‌playing guitar, six-string bass, ‍and keyboards, and ‍performed in more than 400 shows.

Bamonte, ‍born in London, England, in 1960, joined the band's road crew in 1984, working alongside his younger brother Daryl, who worked as tour manager for The Cure.

Bamonte first worked as ⁠an assistant to co-founder and lead vocalist, Robert Smith, before becoming a full member after keyboardist Roger O'Donnell left the band in 1990.

Bamonte's first album with The Cure was "Wish" in 1992. He continued to work with them on the next three albums.

He also had various acting ‌roles in movies: "Judge Dredd,About Time" and "The Crow."