There is no award for hosting an awards show and it feels as though there are very few benefits. The host role is a heavily scrutinized job. 

Hosting is so unpopular the Academy Awards experimented with a three-year hostless run from 2019 to 2021. And, honestly, it was completely fine. Some complained it left the show feeling structureless, but a meandering show is nowhere near as bad as sitting through an excruciatingly bad host. 

Hosting a major award show can be an honor for some. It represents recognition for your career and comedy. The producers believe you have what it takes to succeed in a seemingly rarely achievable gig. 

Still, many stray away from the challenge. When Kevin Hart was asked last year if he would like to host the Oscars, he said “no shot.”

“Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics,” Hart told Sky News about major award shows. “Those just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore.”

It is important to note that Hart was supposed to host the 2019 Academy Awards, but after a series of homophobic jokes from 2009 through 2011, Hart apologized and stepped down from the position. His stepping down ultimately set off the hostless Oscars. 

Still, in 2022, the Academy Awards returned to a hosted format with triple hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. 

The Academy then returned to familiar face Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted for the next two ceremonies. Conan O’Brien is the most recent comedian to brave the Oscars storm. He hosted last week’s 97th Academy Awards ceremony.

In any of the past ceremonies, the hosts have not led to any memorable moments. Of course, 2022 had its infamous Will Smith-Chris Rock slap, but Rock was a presenter that year, not a host, although he previously hosted twice.

This year, O’Brien did a good job. Already well-liked as a late-night talk show host, he was a solid pick for the role. He delivered monologues almost daily for 11 years on TBS. His performance was not necessarily memorable though, despite having some good moments with jokes about Timothée Chalamet’s suit and Karla Sofía Gascón’s tweets. 

He did his role but left no real lasting mark. Maybe that is a good thing; award shows are about honoring the best and brightest. A host should not be the star.

O’Brien understands that. It is why O’Brien worked so well as a late-night host. Sure, he is funny in his own right, but he also knows when to let someone else shine — unlike some other popular late-night hosts who have a tendency to speak over their guests. 

If the worst thing a person could say about your awards show hosting is that it was forgettable, that’s a success — at least in avoiding controversy. But the best hosts do more than just stay out of the way; they enhance the night without overshadowing it.

The roast monologue is a classic awards show bit, but when done poorly, it can create tension and turn both the in-person and at-home audience against the host, such as the reaction to Jo Koy’s misogynistic “Barbie” (2023) monologue at the 81st Golden Globes ceremony. 

This year’s Golden Globes host, Nikki Glaser, came out on top. The stand-up comic gained widespread acclaim after her set at “The Roast of Tom Brady” (2024) went viral. Her quick, hold-no-punches style made her a fan favorite as she joked about Brady’s divorce from supermodel Gisele Bündchen and his poor cryptocurrency investments. She’s mean, as is the nature of a roast, but she delivers her lines so well and brings such charisma that the audience is on her side. 

While she included some jabs in her Globes monologue, it strayed away from pure roast with jokes about “holding space” and Ozempic. Her 10-minute opening set was quick-moving, as she drew attention to some of the big names in the room and acknowledged nominees, as is the job of the host. Viewers want to see A-list celebrities, and Glaser gave the people what they wanted, along with laughs.

Her monologue was so good that O’Brien even brought her joke of Adam Sandler saying Chalamet’s name to life during his own monologue. 

An especially fantastic moment came mid-way through the ceremony when Glaser started a musical number: a riff on “Popular” from nominee “Wicked” (2024) called “Pope-ular,” inspired by fellow nominee “Conclave” (2024). The eventual joke is that the parody song was corny and she should quit while she was ahead. With that joke, Glaser proved she was self-aware enough to achieve coveted award-show-host prestige. 

Glaser found the sweet spot many hosts fail to locate: being captivating but not attention-hogging. 

Hosting an awards show isn’t about making yourself the star — it’s about making the night feel seamless, fun and just structured enough. It’s a tough gig, but when done right, it can keep these long ceremonies worth watching — even if “Emilia Pérez” (2024) takes home multiple awards.

​​Kimberly Aguirre is a senior writing about comedy. Her column, “Comic Relief,” runs every other Monday.