Conan O’Brien is rehearsing new material for the oscars, testing jokes in clubs and writers’ sessions as he prepares to host on March 15 (ET). The veteran entertainer delivered a 20-minute trial set at Largo in Los Angeles and spent days in the writers’ room refining his monologue. He returns after a well-received first go in 2025, driven by an obsessive rehearsal process and a desire to keep the broadcast fresh.
Oscars return: preparation and stakes
Onstage at Largo, O’Brien ran through material he has been honing for three months, joined by five writers, two of whom were planted in the audience. The group debated what landed and what needs surgical adjustment for the industry crowd inside the Dolby Theatre versus the TV audience, and multiple trial runs are planned across the Southland as his team continues to workshop the show. The oscars monologue is treated like a fragile creation — O’Brien asked that one joke be protected from spoilage, saying he wanted to cradle the punchline like a small animal and shield it from premature exposure.
The stakes are personal as well as professional. O’Brien signed on for an encore shortly after his first hosting turn in 2025, and his career path since retiring from late night in 2021 includes a high-value podcast deal at SiriusXM, an Emmy-winning travel show, and a film appearance opposite Rose Byrne in Mary Bronstein’s dramedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The intense prep is not just habit; it’s a strategy to manage live television’s flirtation with disaster.
Immediate reactions
Conan O’Brien, host and podcaster, SiriusXM, described the creative process in blunt terms onstage: “It’s like this little baby bird that I’m cradling, ” he said, cupping empty palms to protect a punchline, and later added, “I get obsessive. ” John Mulaney, comedian, offered blunt praise: “Is this the greatest Oscars ever? Conan is a true artist and an incredible broadcaster. ” Those reactions framed a narrative of hard-earned stature: peers see O’Brien’s return not as a lark but as the work of someone at the height of his powers.
The rehearsal notes are candid — any misstep on the big night will not be for lack of preparation — and the team’s methodical approach emphasizes testing, editing and re-testing material for both insiders and mass viewers. The oscars stage, by design, tolerates few surprises; O’Brien’s tactic is to turn that constraint into a rehearsal discipline.
What’s next
Between now and March 15 (ET) O’Brien will continue trial runs, writer debates and last-minute surgical edits as he polishes the monologue and broader show elements. Observers will be watching whether the incremental changes born in small clubs translate on the oscars stage, and whether the careful craft he’s applied keeps the broadcast both funny and resilient on the night. The immediate timeline is clear: more workshops, final adjustments, then a live test of all that preparation on March 15 (ET).
