Hosting the Oscars is a priceless experience, but how much does the host earn as a salary? This year, as Conan O’Brien returns to host the biggest night in cinema, here’s how much he’s getting paid. Shockingly, the comedian is likely to walk away with just a five-figure payday.
Jimmy Kimmel’s five-figure salary has been revealed
Four-time host Jimmy Kimmel previously revealed that he was paid $15,000 to host Hollywood’s biggest night, a paycheck that isn’t quite worth the hours of work that goes into hosting, and that’s why ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ the host politely declined to return in 2025. On the ‘Politickin’ podcast, Kimmel said, “It’s hard and it’s a lot of work and a little bit of suffering, to be honest.” He continued: “When I’m focused on the Oscars, I focus less on the show. And I decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year. Last year was too much. You push everything after the Oscars, then you have to do everything you promised after the Oscars.”Jimmy isn’t the only celebrity to discuss the return on investment that hosts get for their hard work.
Wanda Sykes knew hosting the Oscars would cost her money
2022 host Wanda Sykes previously shared that her salary was on the scale, the minimum hourly wage paid by members of the SAG-AFTRA union. As Wanda said the same year she guested on Jimmy Kimmel Live, “I realized that out of all the jobs I’ve had, this one was really going to cost me money.”
Conan O’Brien hosts the Oscars
And the comedian also discussed how much work goes into organizing the show, especially when it comes to writing jokes. In fact, he made surprise appearances at LA comedy clubs to try out material before the awards show. “I get obsessive,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published March 9. “I want to turn it off, but I can’t. That’s not always a fun ride, but that’s the deal. At 62, I get it.“However, the relatively low salary was not enough to bring Conan back as host for the 2026 event for the second time in a row.DISCLAIMER: The figures presented in this article are derived from various public sources and are considered approximate unless explicitly stated. We may include direct contributions from celebrities or their teams when available. We are open for inquiries at toentertainment@timesinternet.in.
