Josh Groban hits the Oscars 2026 stage. Is he here to sing an inspiring ballad, perhaps “You Raise Me Up?” Not quite. Host Conan O’Brien put the crossover superstar up to singing the “most absurd” skit about a Conan Oscar win. With the mock opera featuring lines like “His Oscar win has been fated by God, he is the greatest – just check out that bod!” it’s not quite the usual Josh Groban fare. However, if anyone can sing like a bird and get the crowd rolling in the aisles at the same time, it’s definitely Josh!
The Music Man has to say Josh looks quite the part as a medieval knight – perhaps he missed his calling? In addition to the creative lyrics, the performance is a great showcase for everything we love about Josh. His honeyed voice sounds as delightful as ever. And seeing him get a chance to stretch his comedy chops at such a high-profile performance was bound to be a fan favorite moment.
Josh and Conan delivered their surprise collab at the 98th Academy Awards. Josh uploaded it to YouTube on March 16, 2026, where it drew 345,000 views. Viewers added comments such as “Josh in comedy mode is the best!” and “I love how Josh will contribute his beautiful voice to the silliest, most absurd skits. Truly using his talents for good.”
It’s not the first time Josh has gone viral for his musical comedy skills. Josh’s most popular skit to date was with none other than Michael Bublé, with their collab drawing 21 million views. Michael kicked off the performance by impersonating Josh’s signature vocal style, with quite the operatic flourish. Josh then appeared on stage and had a go at singing in Michael’s smooth style on “Fly Me to the Moon.” It’s a classic moment, and they have so much chemistry together!
The Music Man readers might not be surprised that Conan pulled in a favor with Josh to spice up his Oscars hosting gig. After all, Josh and Conan go way back. Their professional work included a memorable segment on Conan’s show, where Josh appeared to help the talk show host finesse his vocal abilities ahead of a then-forthcoming special live event for The Simpsons. Oscar then performed an Irish lullaby, taking quite an interesting approach to singing the melodies, to say the least. Josh then proceeded to give Conan some hints on how to improve his vocal skills.