Conan O'Brien needs some more time.
As the Late Night alum prepares for his return to the Dolby Theatre to host the 2026 Oscars on March 15, he revealed why he hasn't made too much progress on his monologue and jokes.
"Well, it's still early and so much happens," Conan exclusively told E! News during the If I Had Legs I'd Kick You red carpet at the 63rd New York Film Festival on Oct. 2. "It seems like a really good movie year and I'm excited about that."
"Now, I'm just waiting to see what shakes out and what's going to happen over the next couple of months," he continued. "I'll think of ideas already, but this thing changes so much."
In fact, the comedian—who's helming the Academy Awards for the second time—quickly learned that while prepping for his hosting debut at last year's ceremony. He recalled, "I kept thinking of a show and then it would change."
"It's like a restaurant," he explained. "'Here's what's on the menu. Wait, no. That's out of season. That was good last week. It's not good this week. You have to wait.'"
"It just keeps changing, so we need to work hard, get to that day, and the night before, I'll be able to tell you, 'This is what I think the show is,'" the 62-year-old added. "Up until the time they say 'Go,' you have to keep thinking, and sometimes during the show, you have to be thinking."
In fact, while hosting the 2025 Oscars, Conan had revised his set for the evening before even making his way onto the stage.
"There are times where you think, 'We've got a good joke here, but I'm not gonna do it. It doesn't feel right,'" he previously explained to E! after the award show. "We made a lot of changes backstage. You just decide, 'Oh, this is a better joke,' or you think of something in the moment, and you just go with it, and those can be blessings."
Heavy is the hand that holds the microphone, however. Although changes were made day of, he worked tirelessly with his team to curate his jabs.
"There's the agony of before—preparation, getting ready—and that goes on for months," he reflected. "Then we worked so hard that by the time we got to the point where it was time to go, I couldn't wait. And it was a really great crowd. They were laughers, thank God."
Thankfully, the evening went on without a hitch for Conan, who was "really happy" with how it went.
"I'm letting people compliment me," he teased. "It's an honor to be asked to do it, and I'm just happy that people seem very pleased. And now I'm really happy to sleep for two weeks."
As fans await Conan's return for the 2026 Oscars, keep reading for a glimpse at the stars who attended last year's show.
--Reporting by Nikaline McCarley
Ariana Grande
In Schiaparelli.
Zoe Saldaña
In custom Saint Laurent and Cartier jewelry.
Selena Gomez
In custom Ralph Lauren and Stuart Weitzman heels.
Cynthia Erivo
In custom Louis Vuitton and FoundRae jewelry.
Lily-Rose Depp
In Chanel.
Scarlett Johansson
In Thierry Mugler and De Beers jewelry.
Gal Gadot
In Prada and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Mikey Madison
In Christian Dior and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Andrew Garfield
In Gucci, David Yurman jewelry, and Jaeger-Le Coultre watch.
Halle Berry
In Christian Siriano and Pomellato Jewelry.
Rita Wilson
In Valentino.
Monica Barbaro
In custom Dior.
Penelope Cruz
In Chanel.
Samuel L. Jackson
In Giorgio Armani.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
In custom Tamara Ralph Haute Couture and LAGOS jewelry.
Gayle King
Colman Domingo
In custom Valentino and Persol Ida sunglasses.
Sterling K. Brown
In Giorgio Armani, David Yurman jewelry, IWC Watches watch and Santoni shoes.
Ben Stiller
In Dolce and Gabbana.
Jeremy Strong
In custom Loro Piana.
Michelle Yeoh
In Balenciaga.
Kieran Culkin
In Zegna, Fred Leighton and Kwiat jewelry, and Omega watch.
Amy Poehler
In custom Rachel Gilbert and Marco Bicego jewelry.
Meg Ryan
In Ashi Studio and Tiffany and Co. jewelry.
Isabella Rossellini
In Dolce & Gabbana.
Emma Stone
In custom Louis Vuitton.
Miley Cyrus
In Alexander McQueen.
Doja Cat
In custom Balmain, Messika High Jewelry, and Amina Muaddi shoes.
Adrien Brody
In Giorgio Armani.
Margaret Qualley
In Chanel.