Hosting an Oscars ceremony is no small achievement, but Conan O’Brien is no stranger to identifying big events as he counts Emmys and the White House correspondents dinner in his resume.

But ahead of the Academy Awards, where the late evening hosted the first time leading the show, he said he is excited about Hollywood’s biggest night.

“I was thinking about when I was a kid looking at Oscars and I was very interested in seeing Johnny Carson host and I think I saw Bob hope early,” he said People. “My gut reaction that I usually go with was, ‘Yes, let’s do this thing!'”

Conan also admitted that no matter how much he managed to the show, there would still be challenges.

“There is no such thing as coming to a point professionally where there are no nerves if you work in comedy,” he says. “I am very aware that it is an iconic show and can be difficult … I like to face a challenge,” he noted.

He also shared that his wife, Liza, had supported him before the big event. She “was very pro,” he added.

“I think because it gets her into the Vanity Fair Party, so let’s realize what she had her own agenda. But no, she thought, ‘You should go and do it!’ “

The 97th Oscars will be issued on March 2nd.