Conan O’Brien Joins Crew Rolling Out the Red Carpet at the Dolby Theatre

Conan O'Brien - Host for the 2026 Academy Awards. Photo LMS. 

 

LOS ANGELES — The red carpet arrived Wednesday morning outside the Dolby Theatre, rolled out in long sections by crews preparing the entrance for Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Then the host showed up.

Conan O'Brien stepped in to help workers guide the carpet into place, grabbing an edge and joining the crew as they stretched the fabric across Hollywood Boulevard. The moment was brief, but it drew smiles from nearby staff and cameras already positioned for the week’s preparations.

O’Brien, who will host the Oscars this year, appeared relaxed and quick with a joke while the work continued around him. The red carpet — one of the ceremony’s most recognizable symbols — arrives in large, tightly wound rolls and is carefully aligned outside the theater days before the show.

By late morning, the carpet had taken shape across the entrance to the Dolby Theatre.

Soon it will carry nominees, presenters and winners. On Wednesday, it carried something else first: a host willing to lend a hand before the cameras fully arrive.