Conan O’Brien is reportedly threatening to leave the hosting gig for the 2026 Oscars if Jimmy Kimmel‘s suspension scandal isn’t resolved by ABC. Kimmel was pulled off-air following his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s shooting in his monologue.
Conan O’Brien might walk out of Oscars, sources say
A source told #ShuterScoop that O’Brien could walk away from hosting the Oscars if ABC failed to resolve the Kimmel’s suspension matter. The insider stated, “Conan could walk — it’s that bad.He doesn’t want to look like he’s cashing in on Jimmy’s punishment. If Kimmel’s still off the air, the optics are toxic.”
Insiders feel that for O’Brien, it could mean entering a political territory where “every headline” will not be about his second consecutive return to hosting, but rather about Kimmel. Another Hollywood source added, “Conan respects Jimmy. They’re not rivals — there’s genuine admiration. If ABC can’t clean this up before March, Conan may just pull the plug.”
O’Brien hosted the 2025 Oscars and will return next year as well for hosting. During a news conference, he opened up about being snubbed of Oscar invitations. He said, “I’ve never even been invited, to be honest. I only agreed to host so that I could get invited” (via USA Today).
Kimmel’s late-night show was “indefinitely” suspended following his comments on conservative political activist Charlile Kirk’s death. In one of his remarks on the Monday episode, he said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it” (via KTLA5).
Another comment from Tuesday’s episode was, “Many in ‘MAGA land’ are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” The decision to suspend Kimmel’s show came after Brendan Carr, chair of the broadcast regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to hold ABC and Disney accountable and revoke their broadcasting licenses over Kimmel’s “offensive” remarks.
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.
