Conan O'Brien grateful for younger online fanbase

Conan O'Brien believes the internet saved his career.

The 62-year-old comic recalled how his stint hosting 'The Tonight Show' - which he took over in June 2009 but left just seven months later when Jay Leno wanted to return to the timeslot - "blew up" and left him fearing he was "in real trouble" - only to realise he had a younger generation of people praising his skills online.

Speaking to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler on their 'MeSsy' podcast, he said: "I've had multiple times in my career where things kind of blew up or went sideways.

"I had no regrets about giving ['The Tonight Show'] a shot. And when, for all these complicated reasons, it blew up, I was deeply upset. I thought, 'I'm in real trouble and this could be the end of my career [at 46].'

"But lo and behold, this thing called the internet rose up, and I got this huge groundswell of love and appreciation that I didn't expect.

"Because [when] you're doing a show like ['Late Night'], day in and day out, for 16 years, it's submarine duty.

"You don't get a chance to understand fully that there's a generation of people out there that have been watching, they're younger than me, and they all knew how to use the internet. So, they all got on social media and it was this big thing."

The 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend' podcaster thinks the fact he gets "very restless" and enjoys new challenges has helped him to maintain a lengthy career on the small screen.

He said: "The one thing that saved me is I'm very restless, and I'm willing to change it up. The idea of doing one thing for 35 years in television and getting a gold watch and leaving just sounded awful to me and still does.

"Although a gold watch would be great."

Conan hosted the Academy Awards this year and his stint was such a hit with viewers and organisers, he has been invited back to helm the ceremony again in 2026.

But Conan joked he only agreed to return so he could hear the rest of 'The Brutalist' star Adrien Brody's speech after the Best Actor winner was forced to cut it short after speaking for a record-breaking five minutes and 40 seconds.

He quipped: “The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech.”

As well as Conan, executive producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan will be involved for a third time, and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney will produce once again.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and outcoming president Janet Yang said in a statement: “We are thrilled to bring back Conan, Raj, Katy, Jeff and Mike for the 98th Oscar.

"This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way.

"Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humour, warmth and reverence. It is an honour to be working with them again.”