Watching his dad watch Johnny Carson was a pivotal moment for the comedian. Conan O'Brien says hosting the Oscars connects him with his late father in a 'cosmic way' Watching his dad watch Johnny Carson was a pivotal moment for the comedian. By Derek Lawrence :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/derek160e1b72b3389c74b8ca03743731e346949.jpg) Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at . He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines March 11, 2026 7:23 p.m. ET Leave a Comment :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/CONANOBRIEN031126517ba1f0c1c94ca8ba417793a6901edc.jpg) Conan O'Brien hosting the 2025 Oscars.

Watching his dad watch Johnny Carson was a pivotal moment for the comedian.

Conan O'Brien says hosting the Oscars connects him with his late father in a 'cosmic way'

Watching his dad watch Johnny Carson was a pivotal moment for the comedian.

By Derek Lawrence

Derek Lawrence is a former associate editor at **. He left EW in 2022.

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March 11, 2026 7:23 p.m. ET

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Conan O'Brien hosting the 2025 Oscars. Credit:

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Conan O'Brien once followed in Johnny Carson's footsteps as the host of the *Tonight Show,* and he's since done the same as MC of the Oscars — which O'Brien says has allowed him to connect with his late father in a "cosmic way."

Ahead of his second go-around as Academy Awards host this Sunday, O'Brien spoke about how the gig makes him reflect on his relationship with his dad, Dr. Thomas O'Brien, who died in 2024 at 95.

"When I was growing up, and this is probably true of a lot of kids, I'd look at my dad and think, 'What's my dad into? What does my dad like, and is that a way to connect with my dad?'" O'Brien said during a pre-Oscars press conference Wednesday.

"He used to watch Johnny Carson," O'Brien continued, "and my dad loved comedy, so I would sometimes get to stay up and watch Johnny with him. And I very clearly remember Johnny Carson hosting the Oscars and watching my father watch Johnny, and watching my father laugh, and thinking,* '*Wow, that's cool, that man is making my father laugh*.'* And so to think that maybe now I'm part of that equation somehow, and in a cosmic way [it] links me to my dad, is pretty amazing."

Johnny Carson hosting the 1982 Oscars.

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

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Dr. O'Brien, a forward-looking epidemiologist, and his wife of 66 years, Ruth Reardon O'Brien, a barrier-breaking attorney, died just three days apart at their home in Brookline, Mass.

"For the rest of my time on earth I will be hearing from people who want to talk with me about my dad," O'Brien said at the time. "I've never met anyone like him, and he happens to be my father. If I met him randomly in a hotel lobby, I'd think, 'Who the hell is this guy? He's the most interesting person I've ever met.'"

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As he prepares to host this year's Oscars amid the war with Iran, O'Brien again couldn't help but think back to Carson's run as one of the most memorable Oscars hosts.

"There was one year when the Oscars was of course running long, and Johnny took the stage, and it was during the hostage situation in Iran," O'Brien recalled of the 1980 show. "*Nightline* was doing, 'It's day 300,' 'day 310,' and Johnny said, 'Well, it is day 444 of this Oscars,' and it was such a funny, topical joke that touched on something everyone was thinking about. [It] got a big laugh and was unifying, and that was meaningful to me."

The 98th Oscars will air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC.

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Source: Academy

Published: March 12, 2026 at 01:57AM on Source: MANUEL MAG

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