Things to expect during the Oscars on March 2? Potentially a performance of “Defying Gravity” from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande if our prayers our answered, some very close categories, and some solid jokes from Conan O’Brien. Hopefully, because lord knows the Oscars can get kinda slow (it’s a very austere night!) and a good host can make or break the vibes.
While the Oscars is obviously a huge platform for whoever hosts (which can be helpful if they have something to promote), a lot of work goes into prepping. So, will Conan get paid enough to make it worth it?
Kinda Not Really—In Fact, It’ll Cost Him
Back in 2022, Oscars host Wanda Sykes told Jimmy Kimmel, “I realized that out of all the jobs that I have, this one is actually gonna cost me money.” She then revealed her salary was “like, scale probably” (the minimum that SAG-AFTRA union members get paid) which ends up being a prettttty low hourly rate considering the Oscars takes months to plan.
So, How Much Exactly?
Jimmy revealed that he got paid $15,000. Which sounds like a lot of money for one night’s work, but again, it’s more than a night. In fact, Jimmy recently revealed he turned down hosting the 2025 Oscars because of how much work goes into it.
“It’s hard and it’s a lot of work and [Jimmy Kimmel Live] suffers a little bit, to be honest,” he explained. “When I’m focused on the Oscars, I’m less focused on the show. And I just decided I didn’t want to deal with that this year. It was just too much last year. You wind up pushing everything off till after the Oscars, then you have to do everything you promised to do after the Oscars after the Oscars.”
The Oscars Is Super Expensive to Put On
The Hollywood Reporter broke down the approximate cost of putting on the Oscars, but keep in mind that this info is literally from over 10 years ago. Gonna assume things have only gotten more expensive due to ~inflation~, but at the time, THR reported the host fee was between $15,000-$25,000. They also noted that The Academy spent around ~$38.3 million on the show and its “satellite events” in 2012 (but made $89.6 million in “Oscars-related revenue”), including $100,000 on a producers’ honorarium, $45,000 on statues, and a full $10,000 on winners’ envelopes.
Kiiiinda surprising that the hosts barely make more than the cost of envelopes considering it’s a pretty consuming gig, but reminder that Super Bowl halftime performers make $0.00, so things could definitely be wilder.
