Conan O'Brien is giving Oscars viewers a sneak peek into some of the antics he may try as host of the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday.
"I'm just going to keep popping in and just yell, 'Host,'" O'Brien told Lara Spencer in an interview that aired Wednesday on "Good Morning America." "Like during someone's emotional speech when they've just won and they're saying a beautiful thing about their grandmother who believed in them, and I lean in, 'Host!' Jarring. Upsetting. Probably a bad idea."
The first-time Oscars host joked that he's willing to go so far as to even shave the chest of one of the stars of an Oscar-nominated film.
"I am going to go into the audience, and I'm going to shave Stanley Tucci's chest," O'Brien said of the "Conclave" actor. "He has not consented. He's heard about it, and he said no, but I’m going to still do it."
With just days to go before Sunday night's ceremony, O'Brien said he is enjoying the process of preparing for a hosting role he never dreamed he would have.
"I have a big happy grin, yeah," O'Brien said, adding, "I have an amazing team of writers. We have been going through tons of ideas, and I'm excited because I grew up watching the Oscars, and it is something [that's] imprinted on my memory."
He continued, "I dreamed of, like, being a seat filler at the Oscars. I never thought, 'Oh, I'll host the Oscars.' I always kept my dreams very attainable."
As he prepares, O'Brien said past Oscars hosts including Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Steve Martin and Billy Crystal are among his favorites.
He said a more recent favorite past host, Jimmy Kimmel, has offered welcome advice to him as a first-time host.
"I think Jimmy Kimmel has done a really nice job with the Oscars, and Jimmy and his wife Molly [McNearney] have been really nice to me about sharing their tips," O'Brien said. "You know, 'Look out for this. Try and do that. Make sure you do x, y, z.' Probably all a trap. Sabotage, but done with warmth."
As he puts his own spin on Hollywood's biggest night, O'Brien said viewers should be ready for his "triple threat" talent.
"I can sing, I can dance, I can do close up magic. I'm a contortionist. You don't know what I'm going to do," he said. "Anything can happen at any time."
O'Brien added that no matter what, the Oscar audience can expect to see something new.
"I don't care if my ideas are bad ideas. I care that they're new and you haven't seen it before," he said with a laugh. "You know what I mean? Wrestling a giant cobra, you know, for the first time onstage hasn't been done."
The 2025 Oscars will air live Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
The ceremony will be televised on ABC in more than 200 territories worldwide. For the first time ever, the ceremony will also stream live on Hulu.
