Emmy-winning talk-show host and podcast Conan O’Brien will host the 97^th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week. The 61-year-old will emcee Hollywood’s biggest awards night for the first time, taking over from Jimmy Kimmel, who was the host for the last two years.

The ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will air live on ABC on March 2, with the broadcast available in more than 200 territories across the world.

“We are thrilled and honoured to have the incomparable Conan O’Brien host the Oscars this year,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a statement. “He is the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humour, his love of movies and his live TV expertise. His remarkable ability to connect with audiences will bring viewers together to do what the Oscars do best —honour the spectacular films and filmmakers of this year.”

O’Brien started off as a writer for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons before a successful spell as a talk-show host with Late Night, The Tonight Show and TBS’s Conan. In 2021, he retired from the late-night circuit in order to focus on his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, and his Team Coco podcast network. His decades of live TV experience may help revive the ratings for the Oscars, which have been in decline for several years.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme,” said O’Brien in a statement. “In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars.”