Conan O’Brien was one of the best things about the 97th Academy Awards, and his performance at the Oscars is only the beginning of what should be a great year for his career. Anyone familiar with Conan O’Brien’s work had no doubt that he was the right person for one of the trickiest gigs in Hollywood – hosting the Oscars. Surprisingly, this was O’Brien’s first time hosting the biggest award show in the world, and I hope it will not be the last.

From his opening bit parodying The Substance to his musical number featuring ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and the sandworm from Dune, Conan O’Brien swiftly hosted what could have been a very complicated edition of the ceremony. Conan “went there” with some jokes during his opening monologue and was always one step ahead of what viewers were expecting to see. Despite how great Conan O’Brien was hosting the Oscars, my most exciting project featuring the soon-to-be Mark Twain Prize-winning comedian has yet to come out.

Conan O’Brien Stars In If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Alongside Rose Byrne

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Has Already Generated A Lot Of Positive Buzz

While Conan O’Brien has appeared in scripted movies and TV shows before, none of his previous credits quite match what he is doing in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Written and directed by Mary Bronstein, the film stars Rose Byrne as Linda, a woman who is navigating through a lot of issues in her life. This includes an “increasingly hostile relationship” with her therapist, played by O’Brien. The movie, which is being distributed by A24, has yet to get a wide release, but If I Had Legs I’d Kick You currently has a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Between the early praise from critics who watched it at Sundance in January 2025 and Rose Byrne winning Best Leading Performance at the Berlin International Film Festival, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is already one of the most exciting movies of the year. Although it is too soon to predict which movies will be at the 2026 Academy Awards, there is a non-zero chance that Conan O’Brien will return to the Dolby Theatre next year not just as a host but also as the star of a nominated film.

Conan Continues To Reinvent Himself After Wrapping Up His Late Night Days

Conan O’Brien’s Career Has Been More Interesting Than Ever

On June 24, 2021, TBS aired the final episode of Conan, marking O’Brien’s final late-night show after an impressive 28-year career. While not having Conan on late-night TV anymore can be disappointing, the fact that he has continued to reinvent himself after almost 30 years doing a very specific type of show makes it worth it. Between his travel show on Max and his podcast, O’Brien hasn’t stopped finding ways to entertain his fans and do the things he likes to do. For example, Conan O‘Brien Must Go is a bigger, more refined version of his overseas remotes.

Likewise, O’Brien’s hour-long interviews for Conan O‘Brien Needs A Friend are arguably more interesting than what the usual five-minute-long late-night segments could offer. That is not to mention O’Brien’s appearances in other shows, such as his already iconic H๏τ Ones episode. With a great performance at the 2025 Oscars and a critically acclaimed film coming up, Conan O’Brien’s career remains fascinatingly unpredictable.