The 2025 Oscars (the 97th Academy Awards) took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, with Conan O’Brien hosting.
For viewers at home, the ceremony aired live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT—and, in a major shift, it also streamed live on Hulu for the first time (with a next-day streaming option as well).
The night’s presenter lineup mixed Oscars royalty, fan favorites, and recent winners returning to hand off the acting trophies. ABC News reported names including Harrison Ford, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey, Penélope Cruz, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, plus last year’s acting winners Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Musically, the show leaned into big “event” moments rather than the usual Best Original Song showcase. CBS News detailed performances that included Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, a James Bond tribute featuring LISA, Doja Cat, and RAYE (with a dance segment led by Margaret Qualley), Queen Latifah performing during a tribute to Quincy Jones, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale joining the orchestra for the “In Memoriam” segment.
That programming choice was partly because the Academy did not stage live performances of the Best Original Song nominees in 2025—replacing them with produced segments spotlighting the songwriting teams instead.
If you were watching the arrivals before the trophies, ABC’s official lead-in, “The Oscars Red Carpet Show,” aired at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT, hosted by Julianne Hough and Jesse Palmer. ABC News also streamed a longer red-carpet pre-show, “On the Red Carpet at the Oscars,” across ABC News Live and station platforms earlier in the afternoon.
One more fun detail for TV traditionalists: Nick Offerman served as the show’s announcer—the voice guiding viewers through commercial breaks and big intros.
