Conan O'Brien, ahead of hosting the 98th Academy Awards, previewed the March 15 ceremony at a press conference alongside producers
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The comedian grew up watching and laughing at Johnny Carson host the Oscars with his late father, he recalled
"To think that maybe now I'm part of that equation somehow, and in a cosmic way links me to my dad, is pretty amazing," said O'Brien
AsConan O'Briengears up for another go asOscarshost, he's experiencing a moving full-circle moment.
At a Wednesday, March 11, press conference, the comedian, 62, joined producers and designers from the98th Academy Awardsceremony to preview this year's celebration of cinema.
"When I was growing up, and this is probably true of a lot of kids, I'd look at my dad and I would think, what's my dad into? And is that a way to connect with my dad?" he recalled.
O'Brien's father, Dr. Thomas O'Brien,diedin December 2024. Three days later, his wife of 66 years, Ruth Reardon O'Brien, Conan's mother, also died.
"His treat," recalled the comedian, "was he would watchJohnny Carson. So I would sometimes get to stay up and watch Johnny Carson with him. And I remember very clearly Johnny Carson hosting the Oscars and watching my father watch Johnny and laugh."
O'Brien called that interaction "a triangle," adding, "To think that maybe now I'm part of that equation somehow, and in a cosmic way links me to my dad, is pretty amazing."
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Carson, who died at age 79 in 2005, once made a joke onstage at the Academy Awards that has always stuck with O'Brien. Amid the 444-dayIran hostage crisisthat began in November 1979, ABC'sNightlinewould keep viewers posted by announcing how many days the crisis had stretched on.
"And Johnny said, 'Well, it is day 44 of this Oscars,' " recalled O'Brien of that overlong telecast. "It was such a funny topical joke that touched on something everyone was thinking about, and at the same time got a big laugh and was unifying. And I don't know, that was meaningful to me."
At the press conference, O'Brien and Oscar producers also teased reunions that will take place during the ceremony, including actors from the 2011 hit comedyBridesmaidsand from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Stay tuned forPEOPLE's full coverage of the 98th annual Academy Awardson March 15, airing live at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
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