The 2025 Oscars Will Have Conan O’Brien, Lots of Former Winners, and No Songs

ABLUpdated 3 weeks Ago3 Mins read6

Photo: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

And the award for longest awards season goes to … 2025! We’ve already had our share of delays, controversies, and shake-ups, and there’s still a month to go till the Academy Awards. Hopefully, it’ll all be worth it. Conan O’Brien is hosting the Oscars for the first time, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is tapping a number of past winners to present. Emilia Pérez is the front-runner with 13 nominations, but don’t expect to hear any songs live, with Best Original Song performances being cut this year. An appearance from embattled nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, though? That’s up in the air. Below, everything we know about the 97th Academy Awards.

They really got Conan O’Brien to host?

No joke. The beloved comedian is hosting the Oscars for the first time, taking the mic from 2023 and ’24 host Jimmy Kimmel. He comes fresh off winning the 2025 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, along with last year’s Max travel series Conan O’Brien Must Go. No word yet on Sona Movsesian’s involvement.

Who is nominated?

Emilia Pérez leads the field with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best International Feature, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. The Brutalist and Wicked are close behind with ten apiece, though Wicked’s Jon M. Chu was snubbed for Best Director. The Best Picture nominees also include A Complete Unknown, Anora, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and The Substance. For the first time in decades, all five Best Actress nominees are from Best Picture–nominated films, including Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón, who is also the first transgender actress to be nominated for an acting award. Former Succession brothers Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong are both up for Best Supporting Actor. Oh, and three of the films vying for Best Visual Effects feature monkeys — which is, oddly, one fewer than at the BAFTAs.

Who is presenting?

A lot of former winners. Variety reported on February 5 that last year’s acting winners Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., and Da’Vine Joy Randolph will be back to present. That means the Oscars are presumably returning to the tradition of the past year’s acting winners presenting this year’s opposite-gender awards after last year’s “Fab 5” presentations for the acting awards — in which five past winners of a category each introduced a nominee. The Academy previously said it would be using the Fab 5 format again, too, but according to Variety, it will be for Best Director and some craft awards.

Who is performing?

So far, no one! The Academy confirmed last month that the show would not feature any performances of Best Original Song nominees. Instead, the CEO and president told members, “We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life.” Okay, but can we at least get a Wicked number?

Will Karla Sofía Gascón be there?

Well, the Academy can’t stop her from showing up. In the fallout from Gascón’s past racist social-media posts, Variety reported that Netflix, which released Emilia Pérez, is no longer paying for her to attend precursor ceremonies. The Best Actress nominee has also been removed from Emilia Pérez’s for-your-consideration advertising (along with, in some cases, the name of the film itself). But, Variety noted, as an Oscar nominee, Gascón is invited to the ceremony. And we’ve already seen her go rogue before.

How can I watch the Oscars?

As usual, the show will air on ABC. But for the first time this year, the Oscars will also stream live on Hulu — no next-day shenanigans or live TV subscription needed. The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. ET, with the red carpet airing 30 minutes before. You know where to find us.