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.
Background
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.EW.com: Conan, Jay to Return Jan. 2 (December 17, 2007)
On January 2, he returned sporting a beard, which he claimed was a sign of support for his fellow writers.Defamer: Conan's Unshaven Face Establishes The Strike Beard As Late Night's Leading Solidarity-Indicating Facial Hair Choice (January 2, 2007)
References
Fast Facts
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Strike started
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Strike ended
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O'Brien returned
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Fact:
O'Brien said that 80 non-writing jobs would be lost if he did not resume productionThe New York Times: Leno and O’Brien to Resume Their Shows (December 17, 2007)
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Fact:
