Comedian Conan O'Brien will be doing his second stint as host of the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, and he spoke with the local ABC affiliate about the Bay Area's strong showing among the nominees.

ABC 7, which will be carrying the Oscars ceremony locally in the Bay Area, got a little of bit of press-junket time with host Conan O'Brien on Friday morning. Morning anchor Amanda del Castillo, who is heading to LA this weekend to cover the ceremony, chatted with the comedian about his second stint hosting, noting that this is her second time covering the awards, as well.

"So, we're kind of twins in that respect. Although, I think you're at a much higher level," says del Castillo.

"We are. We are twins," O'Brien quickly reples. "We're like the twins in Sinners in many ways. Oh, wait, no we're not. I just did the math, we're not like them at all."

The joke-y back and forth included O'Brien's praise for the Outside Lands festival, which he was spotted at last year — "because of your height," de Castillo says.

"Well, my daughter is a huge live music fan and that's a thing that we do together," O'Brien says. "So, we've been to a bunch of music festivals, but our favorite might be Outside Lands. We just love the vibe there."

O'Brien added, on the topic of the multiple Bay Area nominees — including Ryan Coogler, writer-director of Sinners, one of its stars Delroy Lindo, Best Song nominee for Sinners Raphael Saadiq, and Pixar's Elio — "San Francisco is the jewel for the arts in the United States. I've long believed that."

O'Brien adds, "I have a t-shirt that says that, but it's a very wordy t-shirt. So, I don't wear it often. I think San Francisco is just killing it, always has, always will."

See the full interview below.

Top image: Conan O'Brien helps the crew during the 98th Oscars red carpet roll out at Ovation Hollywood on March 11, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/WireImage)