Conan O'Brien is hosting the 97th annual Academy Awards

For four of the last eight years, Jimmy Kimmel has hosted the Oscars, which have suffered from a long period of declining viewing numbers. 20 years ago, it always reached over 40 million viewers in the US, but it has never been above that since 2014 and the last two years the figure has been below 20 million.

Hosting the gala used to be a prestigious job, but in recent years it has often been reported that it has been rather difficult for the Academy to find a willing and good candidate. Now, however, they've nailed down who will be hosting this year (the 97th) and via People on Threads we read that it will be former talk show legend Conan O'Brien who has been given the honor.

O'Brien himself comments in his usual self-deprecating way:

"America demanded it and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars."

At a time when polarization seems to be greater in society than it has been for a very long time, we are pleased to note that this seems to be a decision that pretty much everyone likes. It's been a long time since we've seen such unanimous joy on social media.

Check out his lovely presentation of his assignment below.