Guide Note

On December 17, 2007, NBC announced that Conan O'Brien would resume production of his show on January 2, 2008, regardless if the ongoing Writers Guild Strike was over by then.

Fast Facts

1. Strike started: November 5, 2007
2. Strike ended: February 12, 2008
3. O'Brien returned: January 2, 2008
4. O'Brien said that 80 non-writing jobs would be lost if he did not resume production¹
5. O'Brien paid his non-writing staff during the strike.²

After being off the air for two months, O'Brien, a WGA member, returned to hosting new episodes of Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the midst of the strike.

In a released statement, he said that he could not risk losing 80 non-writing workers, especially since his talk show was a "hybrid" of scripted and unscripted material:

"An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible — and no one has to be fired," said O'Brien.³

On January 2, he returned sporting a beard, which he claimed was a sign of support for his fellow writers.⁴