The big question surrounding last yearโs Academy Awards was whether the show would address the L.A. wildfires, which had rattled the city mere months prior.
This year, the elephant in the room is the ongoing Iran war, which like last yearโs wildfires, puts a celebration like the Oscars in sharp relief. But for Conan OโBrien, balancing gravity and levity is part of his job description as host.
โMy job is to always try and hit this very, very thin line between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities,โ OโBrien said during a Wednesday news conference with the Oscars creative team.
โItโs a dance that goes on up until the show begins,โ the former talk show host said, adding that he and his team of writers are still revising material ahead of the show to ensure their content is as relevant as possible.
โBetween us,โ he said, referencing Oscars telecast executive producers Katy Mullan and Raj Kapoor, โwe will find the right tone.โ
OโBrien also during the news conference recalled Johnny Carsonโs turn hosting the Oscars during the Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans, including diplomats and other personnel, were held hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran from 1979 to 1981. The comedian remembered the television host parodying ABCโs โNightlineโ with his joke, โItโs day 444 of the Oscars.โ
โIt was such a funny, topical joke that touched on something everyone was thinking about, and at the same time, got a big laugh and was unifying,โ OโBrien said. โThat was meaningful to me.โ
Kapoor said during the news conference that the production team is putting systems in place to alleviate attendeesโ safety concerns amid the tense global situation and reported threats to California.
โEvery year, we monitor whatโs going on in the world,โ the showrunner said, adding that the ceremony has the support of the FBI and LAPD. โThis show has to run like clockwork.โ
He added, โEverybody that is coming to this show, that is witnessing this show, that is even a fan of the show when theyโre standing outside the barricades โ we want everybody to feel safe and protected and welcome.โ
As for the telecastโs creative direction, the team cited โhuman touchโ as a unifying theme โ a not-so-subtle slight to AI.
โWeโre celebrating human touch, human connection and what I like to call actual intelligence, as opposed to artificial,โ said music director Michael Bearden. โWe want to get back to the communal … and so the music will reflect that.โ
That spirit of celebration will be especially tangible in the โKPop Demon Huntersโ performance, Kapoor said. That performance will be complemented by a โSinnersโ moment featuring Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq as well as guests Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone โKingfishโ Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith.
โWe have this lovely story celebrating Korean culture with authentic Korean drummers and singers and even choreography,โ the producer said. โSo again, weโve expanded our reach, and weโre telling these global stories, celebrating international films that have had a global impact and doing things in a really different way.โ
Mullan and Kapoor closed the news conference by teasing a pair of reunions featuring cast members from โBridesmaidsโ and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. โBridesmaidsโ alum Rose Byrne is nominated for a lead actress Oscar for her role in โIf I Had Legs Iโd Kick You,โ which marked OโBrienโs dramatic acting debut. (If Byrne wins, he said, โhalf that Oscarโs mine.โ)
โWeโre gonna have superstars, superheroes, and there is also going to be an extraterrestrial on the stage, so you can figure that one out,โ Mullan said.
The 2026 Oscars will air live Sunday on ABC, with streaming available on Hulu, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.