How Much Will Conan O’Brien Make in Salary for Being the Host of Oscars 2025?
- Hosting the Oscars does not pay as much as it should, say the past celebrities who have had this honor.
- Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the ceremony four times in the past and shared how time-consuming the process has been.
- Conan O'Brien will be hosting the Oscars 2025 and looking at past numbers, he may earn somewhere between $15,000-$25,000.
The much-awaited awards season is upon us as films and television shows gear up to be nominated and wait with bated breaths to see who emerges victorious. The Oscars ceremony is perhaps the culmination of efforts by Hollywood each year as filmmakers and actors strive to do better than the rest.
On top of that, the honor of hosting the Oscars is yet another distinction that adds a feather to the host’s cap. This time around, that honor has befallen Conan O’Brien, who is known for his quick wit and live television experience that must have given him an edge over the rest.
Keeping the recognition and visibility for hosting the Oscars aside, the real question is how impactful the job is on one’s pocket. Let’s find out how much O’Brien might earn through this gig.
What is the Oscars’ average salary for hosting?
While one might wonder what the perks of hosting the Oscars are – the chance to be at the center of one of the highest Hollywood honors comes to mind. However, hosting the Oscars is far from acting in a movie, at least in terms of money earned. Past celebrities who have taken up this job have spoken out against the Academy for skimping out on payments.
One would assume that the great Academy Awards pay well for the host who actually takes the evening forward with a structure and keeps the audience entertained, it’s actually the other way around. Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted the Oscars four times in the past, said,
But for me, it just was too much to do it three years in a row. So you have full creative control over that, pretty much. I mean, it’s part of the deal. They don’t pay you, but they also don’t interfere.
Even though the creative control is great, paying the host for their creative efforts and time is the least the Academy can do. Kimmel revealed on his talk show that he earned a meager sum of $15,000 for hosting the event just last year.
Steve Martin Called Hosting the Oscars “Thankless”
Actor and comedian Steve Martin who is reveling in the spotlight, thanks to Only Murders in the Building, once called the job thankless. Aligning with Kimmel’s view on the payment aspect, Martin said,
I always think it’s funny. I’ll come out and say, ‘I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, ‘Steve, how did you get to host the Oscars?’ It was easy. I just called my agent and I said, ‘Get me something thankless.’
Martin agreed that the Academy barely pays for the job that takes over the entire months of an actor’s time to prepare and write the script.
Alec Baldwin, who hosted the Oscars with Martin said,
They don’t pay you any money; the Oscars pay you like chicken feed. It’s all about the honor of helping to extol film achievement.
Even Kimmel emphasized the fact that writing and preparing for the Oscars is extremely time-consuming and took over his talk show creativity as well.
How much will Conan O’Brien earn for hosting the Oscars?
According to The Hollywood Reporter back in 2013, the Academy Awards paid a sum of $15,000-$25,000 for hosting the Oscars. As per Kimmel’s comments on hosting last year, he was paid the lesser sum of the two. Naturally, it’s safe to assume that the number hasn’t changed and the organization continues to pay such a minimal amount to the host.
Conan O’Brien has accepted the job and will be seen as the emcee on the most coveted Hollywood night next year. Though his exact salary has not been disclosed yet, we believe he would also be paid somewhere along these lines since this is the wage decided by the SAG-AFRA union for its members.
